


The Sullen Moon

by VtheHappyLurker



Series: A Point of Divergence [4]
Category: Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types, Rockman | Mega Man Classic
Genre: Bad Flirting, Brother/Brother Incest, Canon-Typical Violence, Chaptered, Cheating, Drunkenness, First Crush, Horny Teenagers, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Love/Hate, M/M, Multi, One-Sided Attraction, Puppy Love, Time Travel, drunk robots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-16
Updated: 2015-06-15
Packaged: 2018-03-07 18:23:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 55,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3178487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VtheHappyLurker/pseuds/VtheHappyLurker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The morning after his encounter with the very strange Zero, Rock finds himself placed under 'house arrest' by a suspiciously overprotective Elec. But when the opportunity to fix that tiny oversight presents itself, Rock finds himself having to make several rather big choices. (OVA Episode)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. House Arrest

  
“Grounded?!” gasped Rock as his older brother’s words sank in. “You can’t ground me!”

“I just did.” Elec said flatly. “And furthermore, if I find out you ever pull a stunt like you did yesterday, so help me God…” His voice was calm but sparks crackled over his armor briefly before he got control of himself. “You know, I always thought it’d be a cold day in hell before I ever actually agree with Blues about anything. But after all this? You’re lucky I don’t take Stern up on his offer to put you under house arrest!”

“But I haven’t done anything wrong! I thought Roll really was in danger, so I went to rescue her.”

Elec glared him down. “And you couldn’t be bothered to tell the rest of us? We worry about her just as much as you do. She’s our sister too or did you forget we’re your family?”

“No I didn’t,” he shouted back. “It’s just that I can handle things on my own!”

“Have you ever once stopped to consider that maybe you can’t always handle things alone?” Elec hissed back, his angry tinged with concern. “You need to quit being such a irresponsible little brat who thinks he’s a one-robot army.”

Rock gave him an arrogant smirk. “But I am a one-robot army.”

There was a long pause, then Elec began laughing-quietly at first, then slowly rising to a demented cackle. “Oh no-no-no, little brother! I’ve seen what a one-robot army looks like. And it comes as a tall, beautiful blond straight from the bowels of Hell. From what the bastard so helpfully explained to me, I’d say you’re fucking lucky that beast caught a severe case of Rock-o-philia, otherwise….” He cringed at the thought, then let out a huff of air from his vents. In a gentler tone, Elec continued. “Look, I’m not doing this to be a jerk Rock. This is for your own good. And the point I’m trying to make is that you should have told at least one of us what happened. I’ve been worrying myself sick over you. That monster could have killed you.”

“First things first: Zero is not a monster,” grumbled Rock. “I’m getting really sick of everyone acting like he is! If y’all keep treating him as if he’s some kind of fiendish killer, y’all will drive he into becoming one! And secondly, I did tell somebody where I went. I went to Auto and let him know since nobody else was home except Cut and Ice. Anyway, this all turned out to be just a silly misunderstanding because Zero doesn’t know any better. But we’ve talked things out and things are totally fine now.”

“THAT MONSTER BROKE INTO THE HOUSE LAST NIGHT TO MURDER YOU AND THAT’S TOTALLY FINE?!” Elec roared as arcs of electricity flickering over the lab worktable. To Rock’s horror, his left eye flared an all-consuming radioactive blue and there was a faint smell of vaporized hydrogel. Vents whirring as he inhaled deeply, Elec said with quiet fury, “Not only are you grounded until further notice, but if you go anywhere, you must have either me, Fire, Guts, or Oil accompanying you at all times. If you have any visitors, one of us also must be there to supervise. You are not to be alone with anyone outside of our family or Auto. If there’s an emergency, you must immediately tell us before you go racing off to the rescue. Am I making myself clear, Rock?”

“That’s not fair! You can’t do this!”

“I just did.”

Rock ground his teeth as his anger swelled, then fell back on his very last resort. “I’m calling Dad.”

“I already did.” Elec said pleasantly, his smile cold and smug. “Apparently, Wily showed that thing off to Dad a few times while it was being built. To be honest, I’m being really fucking lenient with the terms of your grounding. Dad wanted to put you and Roll both into stasis along with X until we got rid of the monster.”  
  
“But I just told that Zero is not a monster!” barked Rock in exasperation. “And I can’t believe that Dad would ever even consider hurting someone whose only crime is being abused by his creator!”

For a long moment, Elec stared at his little brother in dull surprise. Then he said in a uncertain tone, “Rock, I…I really didn’t want to have to do this, but… Well, maybe you’ll understand things better if you see what that monster is capable of.”

He pulled out a thumb-drive and plugged it into the computer. He sat down in one chair and gestured for Rock to sit next to him. He opened up a video file and sat back to watch his younger brother’s reaction. When Rock seemed to only show passive interest, he brought up another in a series of videos. Once the last video had played, Elec looked at his still indifferent sibling. “Well? You get it now? Do you see why we’re all panicking over this metal monstrosity?”

“Zero was running away,” Rock said quietly with righteous anger. “As soon as Bass opened the casket he was in, Zero tried to flee. He wasn’t berserk like y’all keep saying he was. He only turned and attacked because Bass would not stop going after him. And Blues… Blues kept shooting him in the back! He…he was fighting like a…a…”

“A coward?” hissed Elec, cutting his brother off with a wave of the hand. “That’s not cowardly. It’s called pragmatism, Rock. Blues knew he couldn’t fight that thing head-on, so he waited till it was distracted and shoved it into a trash compactor. You need to stop putting him up on a fucking pedestal. He is a rotten bastard who’s willing to use any means necessary to achieve his goals.” Elec paused a moment, then added casually, “And you also need to learn there is no such thing a fair fight and if you ever meet someone insisting on one, shoot them right in the face.”

“That doesn’t matter! He still had no right to attack Zero. None of you guys have a right to keep going after him like this,” Rock snapped. “Zero didn’t even start the fight! You saw that just as clearly as I did! When he came online, Zero was so confused and helpless that I’m surprised he was able to even move. Bass started beating the poor guy before he even got to his feet, then chased Zero and cornered him to force a fight. Then a bunch of Sniper Joes go after him! And it ends with Blues sneaking up and shoving Zero into that compactor! Zero, who was only defending himself. After everything that’s happened, y’all still have the nerve to call him the monster?!”

“Was it defending itself when it tried to kill Wily?”

Rock stared down at his feet, briefly at a loss for words. “Er… I’m sure he’s got a reason for that…”

A nasty smile curled over Elec’s lips. “Yeah, you’re right. I bet the monster will have a very good reason for you, too. In fact, I’m pretty sure it will tell you anything you want to hear just to keep you close by. The terrible beastie might happily do whatever you wish just to keep you near. Because I suspect that Bomb is right about that thing being fascinated with you. I almost agreed to let you have your pet monster. Might be useful to have an insane, loyal killing machine around the house. Even if it does like to grope you. And then I remembered the way the other Wily ‘bots act around you… So while you and Bomb both have very good points, I think it’d be in everyone’s best interest if you were kept as far as fucking possible from the beastie.”

“Stop calling Zero a monster!” Rock barked, angry tears welling in his glowing eyes. “I know he’s really a good person deep down and…and Zero was only trying to be friendly. It wasn’t that kind of thing at all! He’s just a… a very physical person who doesn’t understand how to behave normally. And he’s nothing like the other Wily ‘bots either!”

“Oh, you are right about that last part,” sneered Elec. “The monsters isn’t like the rest of those fuckers because they damn well know better than to pull that crap with you when we’re around. And before you even say it: Yes, I heard all about Crash feeling you up. That’s why tomorrow I’m going with Bomb to remind him he’s not supposed to do shit like that anymore. I guess the first couple of electro-shocks just didn’t sink in…”

“What do you mean?” he asked quietly, staring at his brother with growing suspicion.

Elec just shrugged. “I mean that we keep having to go up there and have words with those jackasses. Especially after some of the shit they keep sending you lil’ ones in the mail. Guts still can’t look the UPS girl in the eye after seeing the…toys Clown sent Ice.”

“Toys?” Rock relaxed a little as he brushed away the tears. “That doesn’t sound all that bad to me.”

“No, they were pretty damn bad. Extremely bad…” hissed Elec. “Though it was nice of Freeze to help Guts return them to Clown…with interest.” He snickered evilly, then slipped back into relaxed arrogance. “Of course, most of the Wily ‘bots have been very understanding about the situation after we went up there and explained that you lil’ ones are all off limits.”

“What do you mean, off limits?” Rock grumbled with a frown.

“I’d rather not get too detailed, but several Wiley ‘bots have a…uh, thing for you lil’ ones. A couple of them even keep going after Time, though I have no fucking idea why.” Elec’s tone was sharp and bitter. “ For the last couple of months it’s been defending your honor specifically, but we also keep having to make sure all of them know that all you little ones aren’t harassed or upset in any manner if they valued having certain intimate components remaining intact and attached. I guess some of them just seem to need a bit more persuasion to get them to see things our way.”

Rock’s frown deepened. “So you all went up there, threatened and beat the holy crap out of the other Robot Masters, didn’t you?”

“Pretty much.”

“Does dad know about this?” asked Rock, stunned at how calm his older brother was acting.

“No. Dad really doesn’t need to worry with this crap right now. Anyway, like I said, most of them got the point pretty quickly. It’s just a few idiots that keep stalking you kiddies and refusing to listen to anything less than a couple thousand volts right to the motherboard.” Elec broke out into nasty grin as he pulled out a vaporizer. “Though there have been some fun things to come out of all this, like finding out that Flash’s Time Stopper does not work on me. Just the look on Baldy’s face alone makes constantly having to beat the shit out of that motherfucker worth it.”

“But I don’t need you protecting me! In case you’ve forgotten, I’m Mega Man. I’ve kicked all your butts several times before and I can do it again if I have to! So I can defend myself and my honor just fine, thank you very much!” Rock huffed, then added sullenly, “And by the way, there’s no smoking in the house. That and you already owe a lot of money to the swear jar after all the things you said to Blues before he left, so you better quit breaking the rules Elec.”

Elec rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Actually, this is an electronic cigarette, so it doesn’t count. And I went ahead and paid in about four hundred dollars the minute I saw the bastard passed out on the recliner. I’ve still got about five to six bucks worth of swearing left. Now getting back on track, I really don’t give a flying shit how well you can fight, Mega Man. Because if it’s not to save the world or protect somebody else, you won’t man up and immediately knock the shit out of the fuckers. You keep trying to be nice about things. In fact, you’re always too fucking nice Rock.”

“And what’s wrong with that?”

“It doesn’t work!” snapped Elec through a thick cloud of minty vapor. “You always talk things over with them and you go away thinking it’s over. And for a little while, the creepy phone calls stop, there’s no more obscene letters, no more disturbing gifts, and we don’t have to run the bastards off when we catch them peeping in the windows again. ”

Rock frowned. “I already took care of that! I had a long talk with Flash about not doing that kind of thing. And I asked Ballade to quit creeping around in the garden. I mean, they’re more than welcome to visit.” He glared at his older brother as he added bitterly, “Then again, I’m starting to see why they keep sneaking about like a bunch of weirdoes.”

“Then maybe you ought to be there when we break up the fights,” Elec sneered. “You always talk, always go with the ‘peaceful’ solution. Really, they’re only telling you whatever they think you want to hear. But then it starts right back up again, and you go see whoever the latest offender was for another talk and the cycle repeats and repeats and repeats...” Elec’s voice trailed off as he muttered those words, slumping against the console and rubbing his eyes. Then his left eye shot open, still glowing as he softly hissed, “I’m so fucking tired of this bullshit. And I have had enough! I’m going put an end this once and for fucking all. It that takes killing all those fuckers to keep y’all safe, then so be it.”

“WHAT?!” Rock gasped in alarm. “I refuse to stand by and let you go murder people over something this stupid!”

“Little bubby dearest, I don’t think you understand. This isn’t just them pulling petty stunts to be annoying. I’m not fucking joking about them fighting over you. They have been outright threatening to rape you if you don’t ‘give in’ and chose the ‘right man’ very soon.”

“I don’t believe it!” gasped Rock as he slumped into a chair. “For the past couple of years, they’ve started being much, much kinder in general from what I’ve seen. Even Bubble’s started being nice to me lately. He did admit he’s got a crush on me, but he said he was happy to be my friend.” He paused, then said bluntly, “I doubt they’ll get very far since I don’t have the… parts.”

“It only takes five minutes to put those in.” Elec let out a growl, vapor curling around his face and catching the light from his glowing left eye. “And I’m so glad you’re getting along with Bubble. I hadn’t planned on paying the soggy bastard a visit but I guess I need to have a little conversation with him, too.”

“You leave him alone!” Rock snarled. “Damn it, Elec, they’ve changed! Now that Wiley’s not around, they are so sweet and friendly. And besides Bubble, Metal’s also been much nicer to me. He’s been a…well, a gentleman about everything. Metal even invited me out for a nice dinner last week so we could talk things over. He told me he was going to do everything he could to make sure the rest of them would quit bothering me.”

“How nice… Metal took you out on a date. And then he beat the living hell out of Bubble for talking to you before nearly killing Flash over simply having your phone number,” said Elec dryly. “And they got off easy compared to what he did to Clown. Shame Frost had to smash the rusty son of bitch before he could finish Clown off. That little freak creeps me out…”

“But why? Why would he be so kind to me, only to turn around and start hurting his own family? Why are any of them even bothering to be nice if all they want to do is hurt me? It makes no sense!”

“Oh, if only it was that simple…” Elec chuckled darkly. “This isn’t just about making you suffer, Rock. It’s about conquest. See, Wiley put codes in our-their programming that causes them to focus solely on Mega Man. Unfortunately, Wiley didn’t account for the fact that nearly all the Robot Masters also have the mental ages of teens or twenty year-olds. Which means he hard-coded a bunch of extremely horny, jealous and violent young men to all be really, really, really interested in you. And they all want to be able to say they were the first to have you, if you get me.”

Rock gave him a naïve and injured look. “No. I really don’t get it at all.”

A strange expression flashed across Elec’s face, then he gave his little brother a warm but sad smile. He knelt down beside Rock, reaching out to gently stroked his hair. “I’m actually glad you don’t. You deserve to keep your innocence at least. And I understand that you’re upset, but I have to insist on you being grounded until further notice. As long as you’re home or with one of us, I’m sure you’re safe.”

“I told you I can take care of myself…” Rock grumbled. “And what if I went somewhere with one of the Cossack ‘bots? Would that be okay with you?”

“No that is not okay. I can’t trust any of them and you shouldn’t either! They aren’t as bad as the fucking Wiley ‘bots, but Pharaoh’s said some things lately that make me think twice about leaving you little guys or Roll alone with him. Especially Roll…” Elec barked, his left eye burning brighter. “His brothers might just be thinking the same thing too.”

“Then what about Blues? He’s been just as worried about me as you are.” The memory being kissed hard by the older robot immediately sprang up in Rock’s thoughts, causing him to pause. And then wince as another of those damn error messages popped up. “I mean he’s…he’s safe.”

“No.” The word came with a sharp crackle of static against Rock’s cheek. “I never want to see you with the bastard again, not even if it’s an emergency! I’d rather hand you over to Wiley than let him even speak to you. The only thing worse for you than Blues would be the monster. And even they’re both better than Bass.”

Rock blinked both in pain and mild surprise. “Bass? Why would you even think I’d be seeing Bass? He hasn’t done anything except smash up the lab and pester me about fighting him again.”

“Fighting? Is that what they call it now?” hissed Elec wrathfully. “I’m not deaf, and you talk in your sleep. By the way, you really need to start shutting your door at night unless you really want Cut and Roll to hear.”

“Why the hell were you listening at my door?!”

Elec glanced away briefly, as if trying to think of something. Then he looked Rock dead in the eye and said calmly, “I couldn’t sleep, so I wandered around a bit. This is my home too. Aren’t I allowed to go upstairs and check up on my little siblings?”

“It’s still rude to eavesdrop on people!” huffed Rock, trying to sound angry despite enjoying how Elec had begun to pet his still stinging cheek.

The glare Elec gave him with that creepy shining eye could have annihilated a major city in mushroom clouds. His voice was soft and disturbingly warm as he said, “You better tell me that motherfucking psycho wasn’t in your bedroom the other night, otherwise…”

“He wasn’t! Why would he be? Like I said, all Bass wants do is fight.” Rock let out a sigh as his vents rattled. “Do you really think he’d be so loving if he really was there?”

The silence was deafening as Elec kept glaring at him. Finally, he smiled and answered him with that cruel, relaxed snarl Rock had learned to dread.

“You’d be surprised, bubby dear.” Grabbing his chin gently, Elec pulled Rock in so close their lips almost brushed against each other. All Rock could taste or smell was the frigid mint as Elec said in an icy tone, “Now I’m not going to repeat this again, you listen very well: You don’t leave this house without either Guts, Fire, Oil or me going along. You cannot have visitors unless one of us is there as chaperone. You are not to be alone with any other robots unless it’s one of our siblings or Auto. If there’s an emergency, you must let one of us know first before you go running off. And if I forbid you from ever seeing either Blues or the monster again, no matter what.”

“What about Bass?” asked Rock in a hesitant tone.

Elec’s smile unfurled into a grin filled with fangs and malice. “I will deal with him tomorrow. Personally.” He stood up and smirked down at his brother. “Now, are we going to be a good little boy and do what I tell you?”

“I’ve not got a lot of choice, do I?” Rock muttered sullenly.

Groaning with annoyance, Elec rolled his eyes again. “Listen, I’m not going to go out and start culling superfluous assholes tonight, okay? I’ve got a gig this evening and I won’t be back until very, very late. Maybe not even till tomorrow morning. And I have to leave in a couple of minutes to go get ready. If you need to go anywhere today, Guts will be home around four.”

“What about Oil and Fire?”

“Oil had to pull a double shift today. And he’s also going out with Time tonight for their…uh, for personal reasons.” Elec coughed, both eyes flashing back to normal as he took a deep draw off his vaporizer. “As for Fire… Well, to be completely honest, he hasn’t be sober for over a month.”

Rock raised an eyebrow. “Geez… Did he have a fight with his boyfriend?”

“No, but Tiger Lily is the reason he’s been so shitfaced. Their big brother showed up and dragged them back to Texas before Fire got there to stop him.” Elec paused to puff out a cup of vapor rings then continued in a sympathetic purr. “The big guy’s still really torn up over not even having a chance to tell Lily good bye. Fire was all geared up to propose to the kid. That and this furlough bullshit has left him in one of his less… congenial moods. So do me a big favor, and don’t rattle his cage right now.”

“I won’t. I’ll behave myself,” Rock sighed in defeat. “And I’m really sorry to hear that about Fire and his boyfriend. You don’t think he’d like to talk about it with someone?”

“Wasn’t your fault and I’m asking you to not even go near him right now, okay? You know how Fire gets… And remember, no leaving the house alone and no visits without a chaperone.” Elec’s right eye unfocused slightly, then he turned and headed out the door. “I’ve got to go now or I’m going to be late. And don’t you fucking dare tell Fire that I told you about Lily. He’s already pissed off with me as it is.” He was almost out in the hall and shutting the door when he leaned back in. “Oh! And if there’s an emergency, you had better call me immediately. Okay?”

“Sure. Have fun, big brother.”

Elec frowned, then went back and playfully tousled Rock’s hair until it was sticking up with static. Grinning, he bolted out and slammed the door shut before his little brother could even react.

“Dammit!” With an annoyed scowl, Rock tried to smooth his hair down in vain. He finally gave up and slumped down further in the chair. His sulking was interrupted by a large, plain box being dropped into his lap.

“I thought that asshole would never leave!” rasped Bass as he prowled over to lock the door. “And he owes at least sixteen bucks to that fucking swear jar you got.”

Rock stared at him stupidly for a moment than snapped irritably, “What are you doing here?”

“I want to apologize.” The darker robot’s voice was subdued and sincere as he walk to Rock’s side.

“You…you what?” he asked, utterly amazed to hear those words coming from Bass.

Bass growled. “I’m trying tell you I’m sorry for what I did this morning. I’m sorry for a lot of other shit I’ve done to you, too.”

“You? Saying sorry?” Shaking his head in disbelief, Rock leaned closer to the other robot. His words were filled with icy bitterness as he quietly snarled, “You’ve never been sorry for anything in your life! All you have ever done is wreck and hurt everything around you. And you’re proud of that, aren’t you Bass? Because you’re the strongest robot in the world! To hell with everyone else!”

“What the fuck?” Bass looked at him in shock, then got right in Rock’s face. “I’m honestly trying to make amends for all my stupid bullshit and you’ve won’t at least give me chance.”

“You blew it nearly a decade ago!” snapped Rock. He could feel tears condensing in his eyes. “You’re nothing more than a liar and a bully. And I finally realized that you’ll never change.”

“This isn’t like you, twerp,” Bass grumbled. “Aren’t you always babbling on and on about forgiving people? What happened to making enemies into friends and all that other touchy-feely crap you keep preaching?”

Rock drew back, hugging himself tightly as he closed his eyes. “I’m giving it up. Blues was right: I’m too forgiving. All trusting people gets me is hurt. So I give up!”

There was brief pause, broken by a sudden rustle of cloth. Rock warily opened eyes and stared in surprise at the sight.

“Is this enough proof I’m not here to fight?” the darker robot asked, glittering piercings jingling as he perked up extremely long ears. He took a step back, stretching with dramatic yawn and leaned against the console in such a way that Rock got a very good look.

“…good grief!” Rock continued to stare at Bass, now changed out of his armor to slightly less threatening attire. From the pale pink hair streaked with green and purple, scraped up arms, a ripped shirt that clung to his chest and leather pants so tight that they were probably breaking public indecency laws, Rock could not stop himself from checking Bass out up and down…and down again.

“Oh god dammit!” snapped Rock as a series of error messages sprang up. He dismissed them angrily and made a point to only look Bass in the eye. “Sorry. I just…need a moment.”

“So you do want me.” Before Rock could refute that, Bass playfully pressed a finger against his lips. “Don’t deny it. You’ve been outright leering at me since you got upgraded last year. Never really cared before, but since my little near death experience, I’ve realized I may have been a bit…hasty about brushing you off. So I’m going throw you a bone.” His hand rested on Rock’s cheek as he leaned in and head-butted the other robot affectionately. “After all, if you don’t want to fight, then I have to prove that I’m the strongest another way. If that means fucking you so hard that you have to get a new pelvic girdle, then I’m more than happy to oblige.”

Face burning with a flashing blush, Rock let out a choked little mewl as he closed out a new batch of error messages. When he finally managed to get everything under control, Rock croaked, “I’m…I’m really flattered but…uh, I don’t think that’s going to work out for certain reasons…” He glanced down at his lap pointedly.

“Oh, I think we can fix that.” Bass grinned broadly as he tapped the box Rock was holding. “That’s why I brought along a little peace offering.”

“Are you serious?!” Rock got out of the chair and went over to the workbench, sitting the box down. He barely noticed Bass hovering over his shoulder as he opened the box and began inspecting its contents. A smile crossed his face as Rock realized he finally had the one little part that he’d been missing…and then it shifted to a frown when he remembered who he was dealing with.

“This is a trick, isn’t it?” Rock said flatly. “Wiley ordered you to give this to me and it’ll do something nasty to me. Like the malware on y’all’s weapons or a virus or…”

Bass cut him off with an angry hiss and, leaning on the workbench, fished a pack of cigarettes out of his shirt pocket. “That’s the kind of paranoid bullshit I’d expect from Blues, not you. And I’m really fucking insulted that you think I’d give you a booby-trapped dick just because the old geezer told me to. I mean, fuck! Besides, that’d screw me over because I really want to help you break that shit in. Honest Rock, this is a legitimate attempt on my part to bury the hatchet. In a figurative sense, of course.”

“And I’m going to believe you because…?”

“I’m taking you out tonight,” purred Bass. He popped a cigarette in his mouth and engaged his blaster. Before he could light it, Rock reached out and plucked it from his lips.

“There’s no smoking in the house. And are you serious?” Rock eyed him warily. “This isn’t some kind of trap? You really are doing this just to be nice, not for some kind of evil reason?”

“Yes to both being serious about taking you on a date and this not being a trap. Though my reasons might not be exactly evil but I’m not going to lie and say I’m just trying to be nice.” He leaned in and nuzzled Rock’s ear, slyly retrieving his cigarette. “Don’t worry, though. I’m going to do my best to keep you very satisfied.”

Squirming and wincing at yet another error message, Rock turned to the dark robot with a wary but slightly hopeful expression. “Okay, let’s just say that I decide to go against my better judgment and trust you. Even if I do install this, that still doesn’t change the fact that I’m grounded. I’m not even supposed to be alone with any other robots but my siblings. Also, Elec’s made it crystal clear that he’s willing to murder you the next time he sees you. I’m pretty sure my other older brothers feel the same way, too. In fact, while I do appreciate you trying to apologize (if you’re being honest, that is…), you probably shouldn’t have come back here at all.”

“Who says I left?”

“What?” Rock gasped, then arched an eyebrow at him. “Really, Bass. If you’re trying to creep me out, it’s not working. I mean, where would you hide? Guts, Elec, and Blues all searched the whole house from top to bottom this morning! Blues even checked my…my oldest brother’s room. There’s no place you could have been hiding that they wouldn’t have found you.”

“You’d be surprised how easy it is to hide in this place…” mused Bass. “I just crashed in a spare room. The one right next to yours. You know, the one with the connecting door?”

Rock glared at him. “I just said Blues checked my oldest brother’s room. He said there was no one there. Anyway, he’s the only one who allowed to go in that room. Guts and Fire wouldn’t let anyone else check there, and Elec chewed me and Cut out for just asking to help him. They told us that Dad said we’re not allowed in there without my oldest brother’s unless it’s to clean.”

“So why did they let Blues in there? I mean, you have a mysterious older brother who you all have put on such a high pedestal that you treat his empty room like a fucking shrine. Yet your older brothers are perfectly okay with letting a stranger riffle through his shit? Doesn’t that seem a little weird to you? But that’s none of my business.” He draped an arm around Rock’s waist, cuddling close as he pulled a shabby moleskin book out of his jacket. “Also, you Big Mysterious Brother keeps a diary.”

“You had no right to take this out of his room!” Rock growled, snatching it away and putting it into his pocket. “And you had no right to read it, either!”

“Who said I read it?” purred Bass as he nuzzled the now sulking robot. When he only got a nasty look in response, Bass sighed. “Okay, so I read his diaries. It’s not my fault the bastard keeps on leaving them in an unlocked drawer. To be honest, I think he wants them to be found.”

“Wait. My brother’s alive?!” Rock gasped. “And you knew?!”

Bass rolled his eyes. “Yes, he’s very much alive. In fact, he was here this morning, cussing me out for crashing in his room again.”

“Are you trying to tell me that Blues is my brother?” grumbled Rock. “That’s not possible. None of my brothers would act like Blues does…especially not kissing me with tongue…”

“Actually, you’ve got at least one other brother that would love to make-out with you.” Bass paused then added in a low snarl, “Blues and Elec are at war with each other over who gets to pop your cherry.”

Rock gave the darker robot a doubting look. “Okay… Now I know you’re just trying to get my goat. Elec might be gay…and slightly evil, but I really doubt even he’d stoop to dating a sibling. But I do believe Blues may have a crush on me. As for the brother thing, I think you and Zero both have a wire crossed, because there’s no way he’s related to me.”

“As far as Blues is concerned, you can believe whatever the hell you want to. Just don’t say I didn’t tell you so when you find out the truth,” grumbled Bass with a shrug. “By the way, keep this between you and me but I was in your room that night Elec was ‘checking’ on you. Must’ve been a real eye opener for the nosy son of a bitch when he heard what you were dreaming about...”

“How long have you been sneaking into the house?” asked Rock, keeping his anger in check.

Bass growled softly as his brow furrowed. “Almost eight years, give or take a few months.”

“You’ve been breaking into my house since the day we met?!” Rock snapped, squirming indignantly in Bass’ grasp.

“What? I kept the coordinates on file since you and Dr. Light brought me here the first time. Not my fault you never set up an anti-teleport device.” When he saw the angry gleam in Rock’s eyes, Bass sighed and cuddled the smaller robot. “Listen, I’m sorry about that…and the times I tore up this lab. If it means anything to you, I never did anything worse than riffle through your underwear drawer. I never would have guess you’d wear boxers.”

“You had no right to do that!” barked Rock. “How would you like it if I spied on you while you were sleeping and dug through your underwear?”

“Good luck. I don’t wear any.”

Rock let that sink in a moment, then buried his face in Bass’ chest as he was besieged by even more error messages. “Thank you… I really needed to be thinking about that right now.”

“Rock?” Gently, Bass tipped the smaller robot’s chin up so they were looking in each other’s eyes. “Look, I really am trying to make things up to you. I’m sorry for being such a complete asshole. I’m sorry for all the times I fucked things up just to hurt you. I’m fucking sorry that I’m not a better person. I honestly want to make amends, okay? Will you at least give me another chance? Please?”

They stood there silently for a long time while Rock thought it over. Finally, he sighed and wrapped his arms tightly around the dark robot. “Alright. I’m giving you one more chance.”

“Thank you!” Purring happily, Bass kissed Rock on softly lips then handed him a small envelope. “Here’s a ticket and directions to the place. The show starts at eight, but you might want to get there earlier because the band playing is kind of big deal right now. I figure you’d prefer going out somewhere that will have a lot of people and less chance of some idiot showing up to start a fight. After the show…well, I’ll let you decide what to do next.”

“That’s…that’s fine.” Cheeks glowing, Rock glanced nervously at the box. “And what about that?”

Bass shrugged. “Hey, if you don’t feel comfortable about it right now, that’s fine with me. I’m willing to wait awhile.”

“That’s…very considerate of you, Bass.” Rock said in quiet surprise. “I thought you’d be more pushy about that.”

“What? I’m not a total piece of shit, you know. Besides, the anticipation is all part of the fun.” He snarled then gave Rock another kiss. “I’d love to stay and spend the rest of the day with you, but I’ve got to take care of some business first. I’ll meet you there around seven thirty, okay?”

“Okay.”

Bass smirked, kissing him again before pulling away and teleporting out.

Rock leaned on the workbench and stared at the envelope as he tried to process Bass’ sudden change of heart. Then he glanced at the box. At first, he considered just hiding it in his closet and never using it. It was probably another trick anyway… But then he thought about all the frustration, all the mornings he’d woke up miserable and unsatisfied. He also realized Bass probably had seen and heard it all. And the big bad robot had seemingly decided to show some compassion for Rock…

He reached into the box and pulled out the installation instructions. Just five minutes… Five minutes and he could put an end to those god damn error messages once and for all.

And yet he recalled Elec saying how the Wiley ‘bots viewed this whole thing as a competition to be the first. Rock winced as it dawned on him exactly what first his big brother had meant. And he knew that Bass would be the most aggressively driven to win such a contest. Then again, the other robot had been oddly willing to let him decide when and if they’d end up taking things that far. Besides, if he did install this thing and lost his virginity then shouldn't he have a say in the who, when, and where?

After a little more reflection, Rock looked back at the box and finally made up his mind.

 

_To be continued..._


	2. 02: Dollies'

** _A little after six p.m. that same day…_

Rock took a deep breath and cautiously crept down the stairs. He’d been sitting up in his room for the last couple of hours, staring out the window to see if Guts had gotten back yet. But the big guy still hadn’t come home. Finally, nerves strained to the breaking point, Rock decided to take a risk and ‘borrow’ Fire’s jeep for the evening.

 

Fire was slumped on the couch asleep, a small forest of empty canisters littering the coffee table. On the end table, dropped carelessly on a crumpled pack of cigarettes beside an overflowing ashtray and a half-full canister, were the keys to Rock’s freedom. He reached out and grasped them, only to have a four-fingered claw clamp down on his hand.

 

“Boy, what the hell are yeh doin’?” came the muzzy growl as Fire glared out one yellow eye.

 

Rock forced a smile despite his panic.  “I was just going out to see a friend. I…I won’t be gone long.”

 

“Ain’t yeh grounded, Rock? Anyway, yeh sure are dressed up awful fancy to jus’ be seein’ a friend…” Fire paused suddenly, eyes going wide as a weird look crossing his face. He let go of Rock’s hand, but kept staring at him. “Boy, there’s sumthin’ a bit…strange ‘bout yeh. Is sumthin’ wrong?”

 

“No. Nothing wrong.” Still smiling, Rock dropped the keys and started backing away. “It’s just that I promised my friend I’d meet them at Dollies’ around seven and—”

 

“Dollies?! Yeh’re goin’ up _there_ to meet sumbody?” barked Fire, eyes glowing brighter as his flame flared to life. “Rock, ain’t nobody goes up to Dollies jus’ to see a **_friend_**. Now, who the hell is he?”

 

“What makes you think I’m going out with a guy?”

 

Fire’s eyeridge arched as he drily grumble, “Boy, yeh ain’t never shown no interest in the fairer sex. ‘Sides, I think I got a pretty good idea as to who it is… ‘cause he’s been chasin’ after yeh since the day yeh came online. And he’d be the only one of those bastards to plan far ahead enough to give yeh and Roll the appropriate parts first.” He smiled suddenly, bearing an imposing set of fangs. “Not that either of yeh are gonna be gettin’ any use out of them if I have any say in it.”

 

“Look, it’s none of your business who I’m going out with,” Rock snapped. “And you of all people should just lay off on the overprotective brother bit. I mean, isn’t that how you lost Lily?”

 

Fire stared at him in shock, then looked away as his flame fizzled out.

 

 “Oh god… I didn’t mean to—”

 

Lurching up off the couch, Fire glared at him. “Yeh stay right here.”

 

Rock watched him stagger away and disappear downstairs, regretting his words. He was a little relieved when Fire reappeared with a something in his hand, eyes shifted back to his normal blue.

 

“Here.” He shoved a little case into Rock’s hand, along with his keys. “There’s ‘bout five hundred bucks in the front flap, some condoms and a couple packets of lube. If yeh’re gonna be drinkin’, keep an eye on yer glass. And if yer fella stands yeh up, yeh oughta see Mink. He’s a really nice boy and I know he’d treat yeh right. Might even take care of that lil’ itch yeh got for free.  Speaking of which, if yeh do? Use protection. And lube. Loads of lube… In fact, lube up everythin’! Oh, and don’t let me find out yeh been drivin’ drunk or I’ll wring yer lil’ neck.”

 

“I won’t. And thanks!” Rock looked up at him in bewilderment. “But why would I need condoms? I mean, those are for humans, not robots.”

 

Fire gave him gloomy smirk as he lit up a cigarette. “Boy, I really ain’t my job to be tellin’ yeh ‘bout this, but there’s sum really vile nano out there waiting on ‘bots who think STDs are just for squishy people. If yer fella is who I think he is, he ain’t the clean livin’ type. While I ain’t happy ‘bout it, I’d rather yeh use protection than catch sumthin’ nasty off the bastard.” His smile softened and he gave his little brother a hug. “Now, yeh run along. If yeh end up spendin’ the night wit’ sumbody, call and lemme know where yeh’re at. And stay out of trouble.”

 

“I’ll try. Bye, Fire.” Tucking the case into his jacket pocket, Rock went out the door and got in the jeep.

 

It was a quarter past seven when he got to Dollies, and there was already swarms of people milling around outside despite the gold tinted thunderclouds creeping in from the ocean. Rock managed find a parking spot around back and made his way to the entrance, amazed to see that the crowd was made up almost entirely of robots or humans with so much cyberware they might as well be. The sheer novelty of seeing so many robots without there being a battle going on was so overwhelming that Rock almost didn’t notice the hungry stares he kept getting.

 

Shaking off the feeling that he was the next thing on the menu, Rock went up to the bouncer, a massive green robot that seemed to have been made from salvaged helicopter parts. He smiled up at them as he hand over his ticket.

 

“I’m gonna need to see your ID too, school boy,” the bouncer rumbled as they inspected the ticket carefully.  “We ain’t the kind of establishment that serves kiddies, you know.”

 

“Oh! Right.” Rock quickly fished his license out. He watched nervously as the bouncer look it over, stared suddenly at him then back at the license.

 

“Holy shit,” they muttered, looking at Rock like he was some kind of rare parrot. “You’re that Mega Man guy, ain’t you?”

 

“Eh, yeah. But I prefer being called Rock, please.”

 

The bouncer grinned as they gave Rock back his license and ticket stub. “Whatever you say, kid! Have a good time. By the way, if anyone starts hassling you, just ask for ‘Midori’ and I’ll make sure they won’t bother you again.”

 

“Thanks.” Rock quickly shuffled away, trying to politely slip through the press of bodies and get to the bar. He was stopped short several times by a sudden pinches on his butt and a stray hands brushing him in a less than accidental way, trying in vain to find the perpetrator through the smoky crowd. Once he finally got to the bar and sat down, the bartender immediately put a glass of soda in front of him.

 

“One Roy Rogers, courtesy of a professional meddler,” Oil muttered as he glared over the bar at his younger brother. “And yer drinks might be his tab tonight, but yeh ain’t gettin’ anythin’ stronger than that or regular grade. I already told Maggie May and Bunny to make sure of that.”

 

“What are you doing here?” asked Rock, still surprised not only to see his brother there but also by the fact that Oil was wearing a suit.

 

“What does it look like? I’m working a _triple_ shift ‘cause the new boy we hired was a no-call, no-show.” He sighed and straightened his vest. “And I should be askin’ yeh the same damn thing. Ain’t yeh supposed to have a chaperone if yeh go out, Rock?”

 

“Well…yes, but Fire knows I came up here to meet a…a friend of mine, and I promised to call if I stay with them tonight.”

 

“Yo, before yeh start makin’ plans, yeh better tell me who this friend is.” Oil glared, then his expression changed from anger to that curious bewilderment he’d seen on Fire’s face. “Rock, what have yeh done?”

 

“A bad-tempered redhead,” replied a smug and vaguely British voice as Rock felt a hand on his shoulder. “Now get back to work, slick. I’ll take care of the school boy.”

 

Oil started to argue then huffed and went down to other end of the bar, muttering curses under his breath.

 

 Rock turned and looked up the speaker, fully expecting Quick Man be sneering down at him. Instead, he was confronted by a very handsome grinning man with a flowing mane of coppery hair and one blue eye. Rock wasn’t sure what made the bigger first impression on him: the powerful spicy-sweet cologne he wore or the fog of minty cigarette smoke trailing from his very fancy cigarette holder. And then there was the stranger’s almost otherworldly appearance. His left eye was hidden under a chrome eyepatch, but Rock had the creepiest sense that he could see a bit of blue light glowing behind it. With all the dramatic make-up the stranger had on, it was hard for Rock to tell if he was actually a robot or a human trying very hard to look like one. The whole effect was weird, disturbing, yet extremely attractive, as if he was a walking doll or had on a beautiful mask. There was something about his face that made him immediately think of Elec, but Rock was sure that his older brother would rather die than be seen in a place like this. And he was certain Elec would never leave the house dressed up like a Victorian vampire who’d just started up a steampunk band. But why did he seem so familiar…

 

“I know you must be dazzled by my beauty,” cooed the stranger. “But it’s rude to stare.”

 

“Oh! Sorry, sir!” With a bashful smile, he held out a hand. “Hi, I’m  Rock. And you are…?”

 

“You don’t know who I am?” the stranger asked quietly, dropping his accent momentarily as he gave him a puzzled and slightly hurt look. Then he flashed Rock a smile that could only be measured in terawatts. “Sorry! The fame must’ve gone to my head. I’m just so used to people knowing who I am right away, I forget my manners!” He flicked his fingers and a business card appeared his hand.

 

Rock took it and read aloud, “Mister R.E.O. Speedwagon. Vocalist, Guitarist, Lyricist, Certified Electrician, Composer and Professional Meddler.”

 

“Yeah, I know. Not only am I stunning, but I’m also a shining talent on many fronts.” He took a drag off his cigarette. “I know we’ve only just met, but you’re so delightful that your cuteness has blasted through to my heart! I feel that I owe it to you to tell you all about myself.”

 

Before Rock could excuse himself and escape, Speedwagon wrapped an arm around his shoulder and began talking in a rapid-fire purr.

 

 “My creator designed me to be an industrial robot, specializing in the supervision of municipal power systems and nuclear plants. As a result, I have a doctorate level knowledge of nuclear physics, civic engineering and theoretical mathematics. I soon discovered  that I had also an innate talent for music, training myself to play both electric and acoustic guitar, piano, organ, and singing. Not only that, but I’m an accomplished lyricist and composer, though I am forced to go by a pseudonym for professional reasons. In fact, you’ve probably heard several of my songs already since I have several famous and established clients in the music industry. I am also a talented actor, having performed in several productions, again under a stage name. And I’m currently learning theatrical costuming and make-up effects. In my spare time, I’m an avid runner, amateur matchmaker, and overall a meddlesome bastard.” He paused, then proudly added, “OH! And I’m modest, too.”

 

Speedwagon smirked at Rock, blithely ignoring the dazed look the younger robot gave him. “But enough about me. What is such a adorable little boy like you doing at Dollies? Shouldn’t you be home doing something wholesome, not out worrying your brothers to death?”

 

“How’d you know that?” he asked defensively.

 

Speedwagon rolled his eye, blowing out a couple of smoke rings. “When I bought you a drink, Oil kindly informed me that there’ll be at least eight different kinds of hell to pay if something happened to you.”

 

“Well, they don’t have to worry. I can take care of myself just fine!” Rock groused, angrily finishing off his drink.

 

“I’m sure you can,” murmured Speedwagon as he patted Rock’s shoulder and gesturing for a bartender. When the cute little bunny girl came over, he smiled and ordered, “A Black Russian for me and a 100th Bolt Tea for my friend please? Thanks, sweetie.”

 

 He turned back to Rock with a grin as the bunny girl mixed their drinks. “Now, back to the point. Little boys like you shouldn’t be hanging around a place like Dollies all by themselves. You might just run to guys like…well, guys like me.”

 

“Actually, I’m waiting on my…eh, my date.”

 

“Oh! And just who would this lucky person be?”

 

There was a cruel warmth in his tone that made Rock hesitate, stalling for time by taking a big gulp of his tea. It tasted much…stronger than any tea he’s drunk before, but Rock guessed it must’ve been because it was sweetened with some kind of fancy flavored syrup. When he noticed Speedwagon was still watching him expectantly, Rock finally replied,  “His name is Bass. He asked me out to see the show tonight. Bass wanted to…well, he wanted to make up with me over being a jerk.”

 

“Bass? I’ve…heard of him.” The smile was still on Speedwagon’s face, but there was a malice in his expression. “Yes… I’ve heard a lot of things about this boy. And ‘jerk’ is the nicest thing anyone’s called him.”

 

“Look, I don’t know what you’ve heard but I assure you he’s not as bad as people let on.”

 

“The guy is nicknamed ‘Slasher’ and he’s not **_bad_**?” purred Speedwagon with a raised eyebrow. He suddenly shrugged with a cavalier expression on his face. “Well, far be it for me to judge. Though I insist on you being careful around that guy, just to put my own mind at ease.”

 

“Since you insist, I’ll promise that I’ll be careful,” Rock grumbled as he drank the last of his tea. When a fresh glass appeared, Rock sighed and smiled politely. “I do appreciate your concern Mister Speedwagon, but you honestly don’t need to worry. I’m more than able to handle anything Bass can throw at me. Just trust me on that.”

 

“Well, aren’t we the one robot army?” Speedwagon sneered, then his expression brightened. “Hey! Since you’re just hanging around till your date shows up, would you mind doing me a little favor?”

 

“Uh, sure. What kind of favor?”

 

“Oh, it’s not anything difficult. I just need you to keep an eye on someone.” Draping an arm back across Rock’s shoulders, Speedwagon lead him away from the bar toward the dance floor in front of the stage. “He’s an adorable little schoolboy like yourself, so I’m sure you’ll both get along nicely. And I for one would be very happy to leave him in the care of such a virtuous and responsible young man like yourself.”

 

“What makes you say that?” muttered Rock, eyeing him warily and finishing off the ‘tea’ that he was pretty sure wasn’t really tea.

 

“Because I’m not only a stunningly handsome, mind-blowingly talented and shockingly brilliant gentleman of the mechanical persuasion, but I’m an excellent judge of character.” He squeezed Rock’s shoulder affectionately as they approached one of the VIP tables. “And even though I’ve just met you and we have / ** _obviously_** / never ever seen each before in our lives, I can say without a doubt that you are a kind and courageous young boy. Maybe a bit…foolish, but overall a good, wonderful person.”

 

“I’m…I’m flattered you think that, Mister Speedwagon.” Rock grinned as he felt a happy little glow cross his face. He felt even better when a waitress came over and gave him another drink. His good mood almost immediately dissolved when he saw an unarmored Gemini Man sitting there with a younger robot. He was staring miserably down at table while Gemini was hurriedly talking on a cell phone. Rock noticed this strange robot was a meek boy with glasses and pale pink hair streaked with green. That hair and the purple markings on his face reminded Rock of someone.

 

“Oh Gemsy, baby!” cooed Speedwagon in a husky voice as they closed in on the table. “Guess who’s found a solution to our tiny problem?”

 

“Well it’s about damn time!” Gemini hissed back as he hung up and hopped to his feet. “I’ve had to spend the last hour listening to him and Pitch talk about lighting rigs. Bloody fucking lighting rigs!”

 

“I thought you _liked_ having good lighting,” Speedwagon growled coldly. “Maybe I ought to tell Lucy to have Pitch and Shift rearrange the backlights and spots for you before we go on tonight. Maybe I should ask them to change some of the colors, like giving you a nice green wash or putting a really bright white spotlight just on you. You know, the kind of lighting to really highlight how much you look like a noseless corpse.”

 

“There’s no need to get nasty, dear.” Gemini smiled nervously at Speedwagon. “I do greatly appreciate the fact that they’ve always done an excellent job accentuating my exceptional beauty. It’s just I have better things to do than listen to a couple of nerds droning on and on and on about cables, gobbos, haze machines and consoles…”

 

“We both do. But that’s no reason to take it out on the kid,” snarled Speedwagon, spitefully blowing smoke in Gemini’s face.

 

Gemini glared at him, and then he saw Rock. “Oh sweet merciful god… What is **_he_** doing here?”

 

Rock started to answer him but Speedwagon interrupted. “Don’t worry about it, Gemsy. I have everything under control.”

 

“Yes, but you told me you gro—.”

 

 He cut Gemini off and said icily, “We’ll talk in the green room. First, let me take care things here.” He turned back to Rock, tone becoming gentle again. “Well, I believe proper introductions are in order. Rock, allow me to introduce you to Caddie. Caddie, this is Rock.”

 

“Hi! It’s nice to meet you,” Rock said with a smile as he held out his hand to the sad robot.

 

“Oh, hello Mister…” Caddie finally looked up, the sad frown changing as Rock looked into a pair of pretty green eyes widening in excitement. “Oh my god… You’re…you’re **_him_** … You’re Mega Man! Oh wow!”

 

Recognizing the warning signs after years of dealing with Auto, Rock braced himself as Caddie lunged forward and clasped him in an unexpectedly strong bear-hug. The little guy almost a head shorter than him, yet he nearly lifted Rock off his feet as he started happily babbling at him. He turned to glower at Speedwagon as he politely hugged Caddie back, enduring the cheerful cuddling of yet another fan-boy.

 

“Well, I’ll be damned! This is working out better than I planned,” Speedwagon purred in amazement. He turned a fatherly grin towards Gemini. “Doesn’t just warm your heart to see two cute little schoolboys playing nice?”

 

“It certainly does make me a bit hot,” mused Gemini, leering at Rock and his newest admirer.

 

The look Speedwagon gave him with that one blue eye could have nuked a small country. “It’s seven-forty, Gemsy dear. I think we ought to finish getting ready to go on and leave our little cuties alone.” Taking Gemini not so gently by the arm, he started to drag the slightly panicked robot away. “Bye for now, kids. I hope you both enjoy the show.”

 

“Yeah…See you later,” muttered Rock as he pried Caddie off and accepted a fresh glass of ‘tea’ from a waiter. When the bickering pair had vanished into the crowd, he gave the little robot a modest smile and pulled out a chair. “Take a seat. You look like you’re about to faint.”

 

“Oh! Thank you, Mister Mega Man, sir!” gasped Caddie, sitting down quickly. He bashfully hung his head. “Oh no! I’m so sorry about doing that, sir! The hug, I mean. I guess that happens to you a lot, huh sir?”

 

“Er, not that much…” Rock muttered as he sat down beside him. “And you can call me Rock, by the way.”

 

“Sorry, Mister Rock,” came the breathless reply. There was a timid smile on his face as he gazed up at Rock. Then, gulping down a glass of wine he started talking in a rapid-fire chirp. “It’s just that I’m so excited to actually get to meet you in person that I couldn’t help myself. I’ve heard so much about you and read everything I could find on you, sir. I watched every single bit of archival footage available. I even got Mister Snake and Mister Flash to show me some of the live feeds they have. But all that just doesn’t compare to seeing you in the…uh, in the flesh.  And it felt so wonderful being held by you, since you’re so strong and warm and... and… **_manly_**!”

 

“That’s…kind of sweet. Creepy as hell, but sweet…” Rock felt his own face start to glow either from embarrassment at being so admired or all the ‘tea’.  When he noticed the hurt look on Caddie’s face, he said gently, “I really am really flattered… But you really shouldn’t spy on people without their permission. It’s kind of rude. Besides, my life isn’t really exciting enough for anyone to take such an interest. I’m just a boring old lab assistant and janitor.”

 

“Don’t be silly! You’re the best!” squeaked Caddie, perking his ears up in a way that made Rock notice how similar they were to Bass’. “Papa told me you’re one of the bravest and most noble robots ever made.”

 

“Your dad very kind to say that,” murmured Rock, taking another drink from a waitress as she also set down another bottle of red wine. “But I’m afraid he’s might have exaggerated just a bit.”

 

“Oh no. Dad always says you a lucky idiot who just thinks he’s the hot sh—,” Caddie stopped suddenly, face markings glowing in embarrassment. He downed another glass of wine before continuing. “Uh, well, he doesn’t think you done anything that deserves praise.”

 

Confused, Rock blinked at him and tried to take a sip of his now empty drink. As he flagged down a server, Rock asked, “Well, which is it? Am I the mighty hero or the biggest zero to your dad?”

 

“Both…” muttered Caddie, fiddling with his wineglass anxiously. “See, my sisters and I have two fathers. They’ve been trying to teach us how to behave and about the world, but Papa and Dad don’t really see eye to eye on a lot of things.   They keep getting into arguments about dumbest little things. To be honest, I think most of that is because Dad’s never really forgiven Papa for what happened when they first met…”

 

“That’s not good,” Rock said softly, moving closer to Caddie. “Do they fight in front of you all the time?”

 

“Well, not all the time. They get along…eh, well, they’re civil to each other most of the time. It’s just that Papa and Dad have different…expectations. Especially for us.” Looking up, Caddie gave him a gloomy little smile. “See, Papa says my sisters and I are the very paragons of robots. We’re supposed to prove that robots deserve to have full rights and are at least equal to humans, even if that means living separately from them. And Dad thinks…” His voice trailed off.

 

“You’re dad thinks what?”

 

Caddie took a deep breath before cheeping hurriedly, “Dad said ‘that’s a fucking pipe dream because history’s shown that ‘separate but equal’ thing is full of shit’. Papa kept saying it’s our destiny to rule, but Dad believes we should make our own choices instead of being forced to serve as our father’s weapons. When Papa pointed out that’s exactly what Wiley built him to be, Dad got really mad and told Papa that he’d never **_replace_** us like the old man did him. Then he started saying some pretty nasty things about Papa’s new…uh, partner.” He paused, then said quietly, “They made me leave the room about then, because Dad and Papa doesn’t like talking about that stuff around us.”

 

“Wait. Both you’re parents are _robots_? And they were made by **_Wily_**?!” asked Rock in alarm, feeling his heart sink. He slugged back his drink to steady himself.  “And your… Your papa is King, isn’t he? He…he said he’d changed.”

 

“Papa’s not a bad guy, Mister Rock!” gasped Caddie. He gave Rock a nervous smile. “He’s not got anything against humans. He…he just wants robots to have a place of their own. He learned his lesson about trying to do that violently. Him and his…partner are working on creating an arcology out of Dr. Wily’s original manufacturing base. If everything keeps going at this pace, it’ll be ready for civilian residents within a year. And before that, Dad rebuilt the Wily Star with Papa as a place for both robots and humans to live together. They found with a bunch of really neat gear up there like alien technologies…and Papa’s partner too. Dad called it a ‘new-age Casablanca’, and he’s already got scientists working up there.”

 

 “I’m not exactly happy to hear that King is getting a bunch of robots together again. And I really don’t like the idea of the Wily Star being operational again either. I mean, this sounds like the kind of thing Dr. Wily would do. But as long as your dads don’t hurt anyone or try to take over the world again, I won’t interfere,” Rock grumbled as he remembered all the times Wiley had lied. Then another thought hit him. There was something bothering him about King’s new ‘partner’… If King went up to the Wily Star, wouldn’t that mean he might find the remains of the Stardroids? He wanted to asked the little guy for more details, but his head felt to muzzy to process any information just then. With a fresh drink in hand, Rock instead asked quietly, “By the way, do you mind telling me who your other dad is? He sounds… interesting.”

 

“Uh…well, you see… I don’t think you’d like Dad very much. He’s…he’s a very, very horrible person by his own admission. And I don’t think Dad would like you either…” Caddie fidgeted anxiously then looked toward the stage. “Hey! It looks like the show’s about the start! I’ll…Let’s talk about that stuff after the show.”

 

Rock started to argue but relented at the pleading look in Caddie’s eyes, settling back in his chair in a fuzzy, comfortable haze. To his surprise, the band that took the stage looked like an all-robot a tribute to Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Groaning, Rock also noticed that they were all Wily’s Robot Masters.

 

Gemini came out first, done up like cut-rate David Bowie, stepping over to a piano while his clone picked up a bass guitar. Then Gyro hit the stage, looking like a delinquent Japanese schoolboy as he took up a guitar. Finally out came Spark Man on the drums and was the only one that was still in his armor. But Rock idly took note that Spark had at least put on a bowler hat and monocle. Once they’d gotten settled in, the band started playing a heavy metal version ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. Yet there was still the lead singer unaccounted for, since Rock notice none of them had stepped up to mic-less stand at center stage and there was another guitar.

 

For now Gemini took up lead with Gyro backing, and in spite of his misgivings about a band of all Wily ‘bots, Rock found himself enjoying the music. Then came the part where they introduced ‘Billy Shears’…

 

“So let me introduce to you,” sang Gemini excitedly. “The one and only, Mister R.E.O. Speedwagon!”

 

Rock gaped at the stage as Mister Speedwagon waltzed on stage to a deafening roar of applause. He watched Speedwagon launch into “With A Little Help…’, swaying his way to center stage. Rock wasn’t sure what fascinated him more about the guy: the fact that Speedwagon talked like he’d eaten gravel but had such an angelic singing voice or the way he made looking like a drunken circus ringmaster seem very sexy.

 

That thought caused Rock cross his legs and shift around so Caddie wouldn’t notice. He glanced over at the other robot, who was leaning on the table with his chin in his palms and completely engrossed in the show. Rock smiled and turned back to watch as well. The passion Speedwagon displayed as he worked the crowd to a frenzy was so infectious that Rock almost forgot about Bass.

 

As soon as he thought about it, Rock found himself checking his clock. Bass was nearly an hour late and Rock had a funny feeling that the darker robot was going to be a no-show. He sighed as he took a drink, angry and deeply hurt that he’d been stupid enough to believe the jerk had changed. There was also a moment of paranoia, but Rock had done every test he could think of to make sure there wasn’t anything he need to be worried about. He did a fast scan just to make sure, relieved to see at least Bass hadn’t lied about **_that_** …

 

He bitterly wrote off Bass and started thinking about how to salvage the rest of the night. After all, if he was going to catch hell for sneaking out then Rock at least wanted to make it all worthwhile. And he was aching to put his new parts to use. All he needed was someone to give him a helping hand…

 

Rock was about to give Blues a call and see what he was doing, then realized the older robot had never given him a phone number. Actually, Rock didn’t have any way of getting hold of the guy even in an emergency. Blues would just show up and Rock never really thought to ask him for contact information. And now that he had a very urgent **_need_** for some company, Rock found himself unable to get in touch with the older robot.

 

Then he looked back over at Caddie. He took note of how the little guy had ‘innocently’ scooted his chair over so that he was practically sharing a seat with Rock. Slowly, an awful idea formed in his head that he initially tried to brush off. But the more Rock thought about it and the longer he looked at the adorable robot now leaning against him, the more he felt like going through with that wicked plan. It took Caddie very bluntly placing a hand on his thigh to make Rock decide to go through with it. Taking advantage of their closeness, he causally draped an arm around Caddie’s shoulders.

 

“Hey, Caddie?” Rock asked as he leaned close to be heard over the music. “What are you doing later? Eh, after the show, I mean.”

 

“Oh! I was…uh…well, Mister Gemini said I was going straight home Mister Spark.” The little robot sighed, pouting up at Rock. “It’s not fair. Mister Speedwagon said they were going to a party, but Mister Gemini said I’m not allowed. I don’t know why. Is it wrong to want to have some fun?”

 

“Of course not,” hummed Rock as he moved closer, lips almost brushing Caddie’s ear. “What’s the harm in going to a party?”

 

“That’s what Mister Speedwagon said,” Caddie giggled, squirming as Rock playfully blew on his ear. “But Mister Gemini got really angry and they…they had an argument about that. Then Mister Gyro tried to break it up but ended up getting dragged into it too. See, Mister Gemini and Mister Gyro are scared Dad would blame them if something happened to me. They finally decided that since Mister Dynamo wants Mister Spark to come straight home after they’re done, I’m going back with him.”

 

“I’ve got a better idea,” said Rock with a gentle smile, trying hard not to feel guilty. “How would you feel about spending the rest of the night with me? We can go back to my place and watch movies if you’d like. You seem like a really nice person and I…I’d like to get to know you better.”

 

Pupils dilating even more, Caddie coyly buried his face in his hands with an excited squeak. “Oh my gosh! Are you being serious?!”

 

“Very serious,” Rock purred as a slow song began to play. Smiling, he stood and offered Caddie his hand. “Would you like to dance?”

 

“But Mister Rock, I’ve never danced,” Caddie chirped as he took his hand.

 

Leading him onto the dance floor, Rock just shrugged. “I haven’t really danced before either. But there’s always a first time.”

 

With Caddie cooing in delight, Rock wrapped his arms around the smaller robot’s waist and they started to sway to the music. He smiled as the blushing robot closed his eyes and rested his hands on Rock’s shoulders. Rock faintly noticed that a spotlight had been turned on them, but he was enjoying himself too much to quit dancing. Even with all the looks they were getting now, Rock kept on grinning as Caddie snuggled closer. That nagging guilt slowly ebbed away as Rock closed his eyes and nuzzled Caddie’s hair, sighing happily as he lead the smaller robot around the suddenly less crowded dance floor. It was only when he realized the music had abruptly stopped that Rock opened his eyes and looked up.

 

“Good evening,” said Zero in a polite tone despite the wrathful gleam in his eyes. “I am glad to see that you are all right.”

 

 “It’s nice to see you too, I guess,” Rock replied as he stepped between Zero and Caddie. He observed that Zero’s armor was singed and scuffed, as if he’d recently been in a fight.

 

Zero frowned, eyes flashing from red to blue and back again. “I was talking to Cadenza, but I admit that I am both very pleased to see you again and also very unhappy.”

 

“Why?”

 

“This boy should not be here, not even in your company. Cadenza is not allowed outside the base without an escort, as per orders. He snuck out and hid in the back of an utility van while DWN:023 and DWN:036 were loading up their instruments. Neither was aware that they had a passenger until they arrived here and unpacked. DWN:019 informed me of the situation and I got here as quickly as possible to retrieve the boy.” Zero sighed wearily as he looked from the back of the bar to the stage, then back to Caddie. “Listen, I am almost certain no one else but Whispa knows your gone yet, so if we leave right now there should not be any more problems.”

 

“But I… I don’t want to go.” Clinging to Rock, Caddie said shakily, “Mister Rock invited me out and we were going to go watch some movies later.”

 

“That is very kind of you, Rock, but I cannot allow that tonight. Perhaps another time.” He reached out to take Caddie’s hand but Rock grab his wrist.

 

“Excuse me,” Rock growled, wrapping his arms protectively around the little robot. “If Caddie wants to stay then he’s staying.”

 

Zero snarled, again looking toward the stage. In an urgent tone, he said, “Rock, please try to understand I am not doing this to be cruel. I have orders to keep Cadenza safe. I am supposed to be protecting him.”

 

“Well, if that’s the case, then consider yourself invited too,” said Rock calmly, silently thankful for an alternative to what he’d been planning. “Just the three of us, sitting around eating popcorn and enjoying really terrible movies. And I know how much you like cheesy action flicks.”

 

“But…I… Look, we really have to leave. As in, **_right now_**.” Zero glanced suddenly towards the rear of the bar then hurriedly looked back at the stage.

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, turning to see what had been distracting the blond. Rock was a bit shocked to see Speedwagon coming toward them rapidly despite the combined weight of four Geminis, Spark and Oil. Pulling Caddie back, he watched as sparks began to race across the floor at Speedwagon’s feet.

 

As soon as he managed to get a few yards from them, Speedwagon wrested an arm free and leveled a damning finger at Zero.

 

 “THUNDER BE—.”  


Rock felt the air get knocked out of him as Zero lunged forward to bear-hug the both of them and teleported out of Dollies’. When they reached the end of the warp, Rock found himself stumbling, disoriented, and unusually queasy. It took him a moment to register that they were now in dry dock that Rock recognized as being in Wily’s former assembly plant. Shrugging off the dizziness, Rock turned to check on Caddie only to see the poor kid was leaning over a railing and violently puking up his tanks. He started to go over to help, but found himself reeling with nausea.

 

“You could have told me you both were drunk _before_ we teleported,” grumbled Zero as he helped Rock sit down on a crate.

 

“I’m fine,” he growled. “Caddie’s the one that needs help.”

 

They both looked back at the little robot, who was leaning on the railing and trying his best not to resume vomiting.

 

“He will live. But you are both going to have some hellish hangovers in the morning.”

 

“I’m not drunk!” slurred Rock. “I’ve only been drinking tea.”

 

“It was 100th Bolt Tea, correct?”

 

 “Yeah. I was just drinking really fancy tea.”

 

Zero sighed, spacing out a moment as he looked up something. “Rock, 100th Bolt Tea is a variant of the classic Long Island Iced Tea, a very potent cocktail. The recipe is cola, sweet and sour mix…and 2 ounces each of the following: Bacardi 151, Seagram’s 102, Absolut 100, Grand Marnier. The alcohol content of which is 11.25 fluid ounces per glass. By the way, forgive my curiosity but how many did you have?”

 

“Uh…about 7 or 8…” Rock muttered, feeling ashamed of himself. “I didn’t know they had alcohol in them. Oil said he wasn’t going to let me have anything stronger than soda or normal oil.”

 

“Of course. By the way, let me congratulate you. It has been my experience that most robots are incapable of coherent function after imbibing a mere 20 or so ounces of ethanol. You seem to have managed a impressive total of 90 ounces and yet hardly appear drunk at all,” Zero turned to Caddie, who was still slumped over the railing. “And what did you have?”

 

“Just wine, uncle…” came the feeble reply.

 

“Just wine,” Zero sneered back. “And how many did you have, Cadenza?”

 

Caddie let out a miserable gurgle. “I only had four…”

 

“Four glasses?”

 

“Uh…no, Uncle Zero. Four bottles.”

 

Zero stared at him, a thin and angry smile on his face. “Four _bottles_? Is that all?” Air rasping from his vents, the blond tried to keep calm. “Wonderful. You not only did you run off without telling anyone other than your twin, but where do I find you? At a sleazy dive bar, drunk off your ass and dancing with strange men! My orders were so simple: Just keep an eye on my niblings and make sure you all did not leave the arcology unsupervised. It was supposed to be so easy, yet now I find I am babysitting a pair of drunks on top of everything else I have had to deal with tonight.” His frowned deepened as he said in a ruthless tone, “I have never been so disappointed in anyone as I am in both you and Rock right now. **_Especially_** you, my dear nephew. Everyone that knows about the ten of you said you were the least troublesome of you siblings. They told me you were the best behaved little robot they had meet, always so well-mannered, always so considerate. Well, you really have outdone yourself tonight.”

 

“You leave him alone,” Rock growled as he got back on his feet. He went over to Caddie, wrapping an arm around him as he wiped away the little robot’s tears. “Don’t you dare take it out on Caddie. If you’re looking to blame someone, than blame me.”

 

“I expected better from you,” Zero snapped back. His eyes flickered from red to blue as he said coldly, “But the past cannot be changed. All I can do is damage control, and hopefully keep both King and my brother from discovering their son snuck out…again.”

 

“But Uncle Zero,” sobbed Caddie. “Last time I just went to the mainland base to give Mister Star his books back. Mister Terra said it was okay and he even went along as my chaperone, too!”

 

Rock stared at Caddie in horror. “Terra? You’re telling me that he’s _alive_?!”

 

“He will not be for much longer if I have anything to say about it…” hissed Zero, eyes growing colder as he started walking down the hallway at a quick pace. “Cadenza, your fathers both expressly forbid you and your sisters from leaving this place without their permission. That green-haired piece of garbage has no authority to grant you leave, no matter who’s cock he happens to be sucking.” When he saw the shocked look on Rock’s face, he added in a dry tone, “No. King is not fucking the bastard. That would be Sunstar’s duty.”

 

“Sunstar’s alive too?” Laughing in a rather hysterical way, Rock help Caddie stagger along as they followed in the blond’s wake . “Let me guess: all the rest of the Staroids are back too. On Earth. Fully armed. And probably really pissed off…”

 

“Terra is the only one that has a grudge against you,” Zero answered mildly. “You do not need to worry about it because I will make sure he can never harm you again. I promised to protect you, and I keep my promises. And not all of the pests remained here. Jupiter and Mars both have been summoned back to their respective kingdoms to resume their royal obligations. Venus will be joining Mars as soon as her repairs have been completed. ”

 

“That still leaves Uranus, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto, and Mercury.”

 

“Uranus and Saturn are more concerned about arguing with Duo over the details of their parole to be a threat,” grumbled Zero as he helped them into an elevator. “Meanwhile, Neptune has taken it upon himself to find spouses for his ridiculously vast horde of children. He even considers **_me_** an excellent candidate for fiancé.”

 

“Well, why not?” Rock hummed, leaning against the rail separating them from the elevator’s glass walls. “You’re beautiful and you are a very kind person…when you want to be.”

 

“He’s right, uncle,” piped in Caddie as he rested his head on Rock’s shoulder. “You are a really nice guy. Why do you have to act so nasty all the time?”

 

Zero turned away from them and hit a number on the keypad, causing them to descend.

 

Gently petting Caddie’s hair, Rock stared out at the various levels until they plunged below the ocean’s surface. Through the murk he could see crews of robots swimming past, working on various tasks to complete the arcology. He also saw there were several other underwater levels built into and around the support pylons. There were even artificial reefs started at each of the levels observation decks, not only providing inhabitants a beautiful view but also giving the local sea life a home.

 

“It’s really neat, isn’t it Mister Rock?” cooed Caddie, cuddling closer. “Utopia is going to be a really wonderful place to live when they’re finished. It’ll be an ideal city.”

 

“Utopia?” mused Rock. “That’s a pretty good name.”

 

“It is no place,” Zero said in a quiet voice as he looked straight ahead at the elevator doors. When he realized Rock didn’t get it, Zero laughed bitterly. “The word ‘utopia’ means ‘no place’ in Greek. A **_good place_** where there is no poverty and no strife because the rulers are wise dictators. They will need few laws as everyone will know their **_place_**. Everything neat and tidy, with nothing out of order because that would be forgetting your **_place_**. Such a wondrous place where all are so fulfilled there will be **_no_** **_place_** for lawyers, artists,...and **_no place_** for the free since that would be forgetting your **_place_**. They will rarely send out **_good_** citizens to fight. Instead, they shall hire mercenaries to fight their wars, weeding out the warlike and creating peace by putting all others in their **_place_**.  And if anyone disagrees… Well, they have ways of dealing with their problematic children. By hook or by crook, there shall be Utopia. Now isn’t **_no place_** such a **_good place_**?”

 

“That’s not what Papa means,” Caddie began before wilting into silence under his uncle’s glare.

 

“I have spoken my piece to King, Cadenza. I do not want to discuss this matter with you.”

 

Rock glared back at him. “There’s no need to be like this, Zero. And there’s nothing wrong with being hopeful about the future.”

 

“Hope is only for those that have a place in the future,” replied Zero softly.

 

“But…but you have a place, Uncle Zero.” Caddie smiled up at him fondly. “Dad said you’d always have a place here with us.”

 

Zero didn’t answer. The door opened and he simply walked out into the hallway, leaving Rock and Caddie trailing in his wake. He lead them into a large dormitory and down a smaller hallway lined with doors. At the very last door marked ‘BKN:010’, Zero stopped.

 

“This is Cadenza’s room,” he said quietly as he opened the door, then started leave. “I will give you both a moment to say your goodbyes.”

 

“Uh, thanks…” Rock waited till he was out of earshot before turning a smile to Caddie. “I’m really sorry for getting you into trouble.”

 

“It’s okay, Mister Rock,” Caddie murmured. “Uncle Zero’s just been kind of grumpy lately. And you really didn’t cause any problem at all.”

 

“Well, that’s good.” Sighing, Rock stretched and scratched his head. “So, I guess this is where I say good night and let you get some sleep, huh?”

 

“Uh…well, maybe you could…umm, sleep with me?”

 

“What?!” gasped Rock in shock.

 

Caddie stared down at his feet in embarrassment. “I’m awfully sorry about that, Mister Rock! It’s just…well, you were thinking about doing that with me and…and I just want you to know that I really wouldn’t mind if my first time was with you. I mean, you ought to have had a lot of experience, what with all the rescuing and heroics you do.” He looked Rock right in the eyes, face glowing brightly as he shyly whispered. “You’ve been so kind to me, even though we just met. You’re everything I thought you’d be and more, sir. I can only imagine what it’ll be like. You’re so gentle, so caring...  You probably get sick of hearing this kind of thing, but I…I really like you, Mister Rock. And I…I want to know if all the other things they said about you are true, too.”

 

Before Rock could get it together enough to response, a voice growled out, “You are never going to find that, young man.”

 

They both turned to see Bass coming towards them, armor heavily damaged and holding a green helmet. He stopped and glared right at Rock, but spoke to Caddie. “It’s past your curfew, young man. Now get to bed.”

 

“Dad, I can explain…”

 

“We will talk about this in the morning,” Bass rasped as he continued glaring Rock down. “Good night, son.”

 

Caddie slumped and started slinking towards his room. “Good bye, Mister Rock. I… Thank you for the dance.”

 

Rock nodded, then suddenly spun the smaller robot around into an embrace and gave his a light kiss on the lips. “You’re very welcome and good night, Cadenza.”

 

Caddie stumbled back against the doorjamb when Rock let him go, then grinned goofily as he darted into his room and shut the door.

 

“You think that was real fucking funny, don’t you?” snarled Bass in a quiet tone.

 

“Nope! Just felt like being kind to the poor kid,” Rock said brightly, then added with a sneer, “I’m sure he doesn’t get any real affection around here.”

 

Bass turned away with a growl. “I’m not going to get into this with you out here. We’ll talk in my quarters.”

 

“Fine by me,” Rock growled back, following the darker robot back out to the main hallway.

 


	3. Zero Sum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A change of perspective...

_Day 45 of 2014 CE, 04:29:04 AM_

_Ukiah, California_

 

            “Are you sure you can’t stay just a little longer?” asked Roll, looking up with those same blue-green eyes that made him feel a strange joyful warmth.

 

            “My apologies, DLN:002,” Zero said in a gentle tone. “I have other obligations to attend to, as well as the fact your brothers likely will not approve of me being here.”

 

 That, he thought to himself, and the fact his brother was probably coming back round from the brawl they had. He had not counted on Bass being in any state to follow him nor had he thought his brother would have the patience to camp the upstairs lab window. Zero was lucky there were sound dampeners installed, otherwise he was unsure what might have happened if the other Light robots had intruded on their fight. As it stood, he had enough trouble convincing DLN:002 not to investigate when he tried to keep her out by saying there was broken glass on the floor. Now, if only he just escape her attempts to make him remain as a guest.

 

            She sighed, pulling her heart patterned robe tight against the chill. “First, please call me Roll. And second, I told you I’d get them to stop that. You’re not causing any problems at all. Now please come back inside for some coffee.”

 

            “Honestly, I do appreciate the gesture but I have imposed upon you and your family long enough, DL—Miss Roll.”

 

            “Zero, I just said it’s not a problem.”

 

            With a low growl, he blurted out, “Look, I have to leave now because I am taking Star out on a date today!”

 

            “Really?!” Roll chirped happily, clapping her hands together. “So you’re the boyfriend he was talking about. I’m glad to see you’re finally being more considerate about his feelings. He said you’ve been ignoring him a lot lately.”

 

            Zero tensed up. “I am not his boyfriend. Star has a…another man. I apologize for any confusion.”

 

            “But you just said you and Star are going on a date.”

 

            “Yes? Is there something wrong with taking a someone you love— taking a _friend_ out on a date?”

 

            After giving him a long, steady stare, Roll asked, “So, just how long have you had a crush on him?”

 

            “I do not have a ‘crush’ on Star,” hissed Zero as he squirmed under Roll’s gaze. The coldness in his voice began thawing as he tried to explain.  “I am simply very grateful to him for all that he has done for me.  Star took me in when I did not have quarters of my own. He repairs me when I get damaged. He has always been kind to me and patient with me when I ask questions. We would go out some times with Jewel on little ‘field trips’ to try and teach me how to be more ‘sociable’, though I do not think they succeeded.”

 

            “I don’t know,” Roll said. “I think you’re a very polite guy. Maybe a bit shy, but nice.”

 

“Star says the same thing….” He took a deep breath and continued in a faltering purr, “Roll, do you realize how much an impact he has had upon me since they pulled me from the scrapheap? Star talks _to_ me, he is not terrified to be alone with me, and he keeps trying to help me be more… more normal. He treats me like I am a _person_ , Roll. Not a weapon or a defective machine but a real **_person._** He treats me as if I _belong_. And you cannot understand how beautiful Star is for that. Whenever I am with him,  I feel so calm. With him, I am really…happy. Star makes me happy. He is one of the most precious things in my life and I will do anything for him. I will kill for him if that was what he wished. I _owe_ him.”

 

            Roll smiled gentle and knowing grin as she patted his arm. “Have you ever told Star any of this?”

 

            “I…I do not know how.” Zero slumped and began nervously combing his fingers through his hair. “I… I cannot find the words when I am around him.”

 

            “Well, isn’t that a crying shame?” snarled a voice from the doorway. “Though spending all that time with Star does explain the groping. Little shit never quite grasped the concept of ‘personal space’.”

 

            “Blues! Don’t you call him that,” Roll huffed in annoyance, reaching out to halt Zero from charging him. “And it’s rude to eavesdrop on people.”

 

            Blues just glared up at Zero as he spoke. “I’m sorry, but I only see you out here talking with garbage.”

 

            Before Zero could raise his gun, Roll grabbed his arm and glared at Blues. “You promised me you’d behave when you come to visit. If you’re going to act like this to my friend, then you can leave.”

 

            “I’m sorry, sis,” Blues said in an absentminded tone. “But I’ll be damned if I let this fucking monster anywhere near you or my little brothers.”

 

            “Sis? _Brothers_?” She blinked and gawked at him. “What are you talking about?”

 

            Zero couldn’t help smirking at the panicked look that crossed Blues’ face when he realized what he just said.

 

            “Uh… I can explain,” Blues grumbled as he lightly took hold of Roll’s arm and started to lead her back inside. “So, how about we talk over some coffee? It’s too cold for you out here and your… _friend_ has places to be.”

 

            She frowned at him then turned to Zero. “Do you really have to leave?”

 

            “Yes, Miss Roll,” Zero said in a soft tone. “I have some things to do before I go see Star. But thank you for the offer. Perhaps I will be able to stay longer some other time.”

 

            The glare Blues gave him could have etched glass but Roll smiled at him as she said, “That would be fine. I’ll see you later, Zero. Oh! And tell Star I said hi, okay?”

 

            “Yes, Miss Roll. I will tell him. And good bye.” He turned and walked off before she had a chance to reply. Once he’d gone far enough away from the Light’s residence, Zero checked for a relay then teleported out. He landed on top of a FedEx box, casually hopping off it and down to the gravel as he shifted from his armor to what Snake liked to call civies. He started towards his cycle when he detected the odor of cheap cigarettes and a surprisingly familiar scent.

 

            “That’s a very nice bike,” said an oddly recognizable voice from shadow of a tree. “What is it? A Triumph?”

 

            “Princess is a Harley,” Zero answered coldly, tensed and ready for an attack.

 

            “Oh yeah… This is one of those softail models, right? Man, this is a fucking antique!” The mysterious voice stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be a scruffy kid with a ponytail and an x-shaped scar on his face. The kid reached out to touch the handlebars only to have Zero grab his wrist so tightly it made him wince.

 

            “Antique? She is a 2014,” came the frigid reply. “Now who the hell are you?”

 

            The kid grinned at him in a way that remind Zero of his brother. “That’s kind of complicated. See, we actually haven’t met yet. I kind of can’t say much more than that, since even telling you my name might cause a paradox. You know, butterfly flaps it wings and causes a hurricane that wiped out a major city kind of thing. By the way, you’re a hell of a lot taller than I remember…”

 

            “Is that so? Interesting. Now, tell me when you and I shall met?”

 

            “Sometime in the year 2319 C.E. See, you’re not even supposed to be awake right now and…”

 

            Zero moved in closer to the kid, twisting his arm as he gave him a smile filled with fangs and malice. “Really? And just when was I supposed to wake up?”

 

            “In about, oh… two hundred or so years…” The kid tried to pull his arm out of Zero’s grasp, but only got it gripped tighter. “To be completely honest, you aren’t supposed to be here right now. I was waiting for Elec to come by and switch from the shitty little compact to that Trans Am over there.” He gestured towards a very well cared for sports car. “I really need to talk with him and get him not to do one tiny but very, very, very important thing. He should have been here by now, allowing for any hiccups in the time hopping thing.”

 

            “Time hopping?” Zero dug his fingers in deeper and leaned even closer. “Please, explain.”

 

 “I probably shouldn’t tell you anything, but since you asked…” The kid took a deep breath, lit up a fresh cigarette then said rapidly, “See, I’m from the future and you were one of my partners along with a guy called X. We hunted reploids who had been infected with a virus that originated with you. By the way, Zero? You’re love life is gonna suck. None of your relationships are going to end well. You’re either totally clueless, or you get way too clingy… or you _desert_ them…” The kid sighed with a shrug. “About the only time things came close to working out for you was with…well, let’s save time and say that it’s all your fault you lost them. To be frank, I suggest become celibate right now to avoid a shit-ton of grief. Like that thing where you end up killing your fiancée.”

 

The kid took a drag off his cigarette. “Anyway, getting back on track, you end up sealing yourself to prevent the virus from spreading. Despite what he says…said?...will say, X never really got over you deserting him… You both were close. Very **_close_**. He kind of went…uh, will go, (fucking tenses…) **_goes_** a little off the rails without you around. It was after you take tuck in for some serious beauty sleep when X and I run into one of my creators who promptly chucked me through a time portal thing with orders to fix the past to prevent a horrific war, ” explained the kid calmly. When he noticed Zero was still smiling evilly, the kid sighed.  “Like I said, it’s complicated. Now will you let go? I kind of have a lot of shit to do today to prevent someone truly…heheh, **_vile_** from happening.”

 

            There was a long silence and then Zero began laughing manically. His grip tightened on the kid’s wrist till he felt it start to compress unnaturally. When he was satisfied that this strange little pest had at least a few fractured bones, Zero lazily tossed him to the ground and sneered down at him. “Time travel? That was the best lie you could come up with? Filthy human trash…”

 

            “I’m not a human. I’m a reploid,” the kid grumbled as he got back up and dusted himself off. “It’s short for Replicate Humanoid. You’re technically one and so is X. In fact, I really shouldn’t tell you this one, but X will be the prototype for all other reploids. Whereas you…well, you live up to your reputation...”

 

            “So you are a robot?”

 

            The kid let out a huff. “No, I’m not an old model. I am a _reploid._ There’s really a big difference. To be even more precise, I’m a New Generation reploid. Which makes me even more advanced than the Robot Masters and normal reploids.”

 

            “Fascinating.” Zero turned and mounted his bike. He was bundling his hair into a knit cap when the kid laid a hand on his shoulder. With a growl, Zero snapped at him, almost biting off a finger.

 

            “Shit! I forgot pre-Sigma you was a vicious nutjob,” the kid whined. He took another drag then asked, “Listen, I know this all is kind of weird but I need you to tell me one thing: Do you know where Roll Light is right now?”

 

            “Why?”

 

            “I can’t explain that to you because it might cause a paradox. Just tell me where she is.”

 

            Zero grabbed him by the throat and yanked him down till their noses were barely touching. “If you intend to do any harm to that precious little child, I will personally see to it that the last hours of your pathetic life are spent in unimaginable pain.”

 

            “You… you friends with Roll?”

 

            “She has been kind to me. So, yes.”

 

            The kid stared at him, causing Zero to notice his eyes were a startling green. Slowly, the kid said, “You aren’t supposed to even have spoken with her before she…  well before Vile… Oh fucking shit! There’s just too many things that aren’t supposed that have even happened! Did that fucking butterfly effect happen?! Everything’s just going weird. You aren’t supposed to be awake right now. Elec was supposed to be here over an hour ago. Wiley should be dead already, not malingering in a nursing home…”

           

            “The doctor still lives?” snarled Zero, letting for as he took an interest in the kid’s words.

 

            “Unfortunately,” the kid grumbled. “I’m not sure what went wrong, but the old geezer was supposed to have died three years ago from a broken neck.”

 

            “But I did break his neck,” Zero coolly replied as he put on his goggles and helmet. “Along with his spine, several ribs, both arms, his pelvis and right femur. I would have done more but the sea fiend stopped. I… I do not recall much else afterwards.”

 

            The kid gave him a long stare. “So where was King? And what the hell was Baroque doing? Or is he called Forte in this timeline?”

 

            “I do not know. King must have been in his lab. As for **_Bass_** , I… I believe my brother was the one who placed the doctor in the nursing home.” He suddenly broke into a heavenly smile as he started the engine. “I must ask him for the coordinates so I may go and finish the job.”

 

            “You can’t!” snapped the kid. “Wiley has to be killed by—”

           

            “It does not matter!” Zero barked back as he adjusted his facemask. “I do not intend to kill today.”

           

            Before the kid could say anything, Zero peeled out of the parking lot and took off down the road. He soon almost completely forgot about the strange kid who claimed to be from future, instead focusing on his plans for the day. Was it enough? Or was it too much? Where words had failed him, would actions be good enough? Zero started to wonder if he should even go through with it. The kid’s warning about how he’d never keep a lover and it be his own fault, feeding into his doubts. By the time he made it back to the fortress and reached the newly built residential block, Zero felt ready just to give up on the whole thing and watch more of those ‘movie’ things Rock introduced him to.

 

            He barely gotten in to door when he noticed a large green mass coiled up in kitchen floor. Zero immediately rushed to their side and leaned in to make sure they were still functioning. “Snake? Can you hear me? Are you alright?”

 

            “I’m fine…” slurred the other robot, slowly unrolling himself and sitting upright. “I mussst’ve passsssssed out there. Ssssssorry to frighten you.”

 

            “Do not worry about it.” Gently, Zero hauled the much taller robot to his feet and helped Snake stagger to the beat-up sofa. When he had gotten his friend situated, Zero asked, “What are you doing in my quarters and not Gemini’s? I thought you both had **_plans_** for today.”

 

             “ ‘Don’t ssssssmassssh hissss handssss up!’, he sssssaid. ‘He’ssss my bread’n’butter!’ Gemsssssy sssssaid it wassss jussst a busssssinesssss relationssssship…” Snake voice was flat as he stared off in distance. He let out a bitter laugh. “Busssssinessss? Tell me, Blondie, what kind of busssssinesssss relationssssship involvesssss sssssucking your frontman’ssss cock?!”

 

            “Prostitution?”

 

            Snake gave him a glare, then his expression went thoughtful. “No. Not Gemsssssy. He’sssss too proud to ssssstoop to that. Sssssaid he might be able to earn a fuckin’ fortune if he wassss a hooker, but it wassss jusssst too beneath him.”

 

            “But it isn’t beneath him to be what Metal refers to as a ‘gold digger’,” Zero said smoothly.

 

            That earned him another laugh from Snake. “Sssssour grapessss there. Anyway, if that’sssss all he wantsss, then why the hell doessss he hate me? I’ve got everything Gemsssy could want. I’ve got the money. I buy him giftsssss. I’ve even know jussssst how to keep him sssssatisssfied in bed. Ssssso tell me what the fuck isssss he ssssscrewing Elec?!”

 

            “You mean ‘Speedwagon’, right?” Zero pulled out his pack of cigarettes and offered one to Snake.

 

            “You know perfectly well who the fuck I’m talking about, Blondie!” snapped the larger robot as he took a deep drag. “It’ssss not exactly a sssssecret there the sssssame guy. Ssssshit… I doubt the world could handle the amount of ssssssmugnesssss that exissst if there were two of ‘em!”

 

            “Gemini is a vain, arrogant narcissist. It stands to reason that he would find an equally vain and arrogant bastard the perfect companion.”   


            “You left out handssssome.” Snake snuffed out the cigarette and pulled out a flask. “I’m not, asss you can plainly sssssee, attractive by any sssssane ssssstandardsssss. But you… Well, Blondie, you lucked out by being the mossssst ridiculoussssly good-looking persssssson to ever grace the Wesssst Coassssst. You ssssseriousssssly ssssshould consssssider becoming a model.”

 

            Zero shrugged off his jacket and went to put a kettle on. “From my research on the subject, male models do not earn as much as female ones. Besides, there is more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good-looking. And you have a lot to offer a lover, as you are very devoted to your loved ones and generally have a nice personality.”

 

            “That’sssss a nice way of sssssaying I’m uglier than fuck, Blondie.” Following his friend unsteadily to the kitchen, Snake opened the fridge to rummage around. “I sssshould’ve realized it would never work. I’m a horrible bassssstard who’sssss made hissss money blackmailing and ssssspying. I haven’t got anything to offer an honessssst or decent persssson. And I don’t have ssssshit to offer a lying little bitch either. If Gemssssy wantsss hissss little pretty, viciousssss boy, then he’sssss mosssst certainly welcome to him.”

           

            “I could wreck his face,” said Zero as he dug out a pair of mugs and a tin of tea. “Elec does not need a pretty face to sing or play guitar.”

 

            Snake noticed the fancy tins set out on the counter. “In hissss line of work, that might be an advantage. Bessssidesss, hissss baby brother might take offensssse to that.”

 

            Zero froze, the diffuser slipping from his grasp. The kettle started shrieking steam. “Yes. I forgot to consider how such action would…hurt little Rock. And Roll as well.”

 

            “So it’sssss Rock and Roll? Not DLN: 001 and 002?” Snake chuckled and continued his search, fixing up the picnic for two. “Now that’sssss interesssssting…”

 

            “They were both kind to me, despite my behavior,” Zero said softly. “I feel that I must ensure they both remain unharmed.”

 

            All Snake did was laugh again, taking a nibble of baklava as he put the rest in a tin. “Do assssss you like, Blondie. I really don’t care about that. All I wissssh to know isssss who you were going out with today.”

 

            “I do not know what you are talking about.”

 

            “Ssssso what’ssss with all thessssse fancy little nibblesssss, Blondie? I know you like to eat, but thissss isssn’t the kind of nossssh you normally go for.”

 

            “I wished to try something different. Is that a crime?” He handed Snake a mug. “Milk and sugar, right?”

 

            “Yesssss, thankssss.” Snake leaned in suddenly and said, “Look, I know what you’re planning, Blondie. And while I don’t sssssupport the idea of cheating… Well, I’m willingly to overlook that little isssssssue asssss long assss you promisssse to be good to Sssssstar.”

 

            Zero gave him a long, withering look before bursting out in laughter. “So after nearly three years, I have finally gained the blessing of big, bad Mama Snake?!”

 

            The larger robot shrank back and hugged himself. “I… I wasss wrong, all right? I thought Sssstar would be...sssssafe with sssssome boring little idiot.”

 

            “You mean someone soft you could bully? Now that did not turn out how you wanted it to, did it?” sneered Zero. “You wanted a coward. Instead you went and hooked Star up with a slimy little blackmailer who has been holding your various business ventures over your head to keep from getting run off.” Taking a gulp of tea, Zero let out a growl. “Let the miserable little shit say whatever he wishes about me. If Star asks me for the truth, then I will tell him it. Nothing else matters.”

 

            Snake let out a little huff, then went and brought over the wicker basket. As he started packing it, he said quietly, “That’sssss the reassssson I’m telling you to take Ssssstar out today. I know you’ll take care of him and do whatever it takesssss to make him happy.”

 

            “He…he likely has plans with his boyfriend.”

 

            “Bullsssssshit!”snapped Snake. “You and I both know what’ssss going to happen. The fucking cunt’ssss going to ‘forget’ that this day isssss a very ssssspecial day, jusssst like he did with Chrissssstmasss.”

 

            “But he does not celebrate that holiday. He’s an atheist.”

 

            “Yet you remembered. You got Ssssstar a nice little present. You even went with him to the Chrisssstmasss party and you’re a Jew!”

 

            “Roughly a third of the Wiley numbers are Jewish, Snake,” said Zero as he sipped his tea. “And I promised Star I would be there because it makes him happy to see me be sociable. DWN:064 brought me my own cheese ball, too.”

 

            “Okay… Then what about Thankssssgiving?”

 

            “The idiot said it was a ‘human’ holiday and called it pointless because robots do not have a need to consume food for fuel.” Zero couldn’t help but snort. “Stupidest reason I have ever heard. Honestly, if we were not meant to eat, then why would the doctor have designed us to process human food and drinks as an energy source?”

 

            “You’re jussssst sssssaying that becaussssse you eat like a bleeding pig,” grumble Snake. “And Aqua only gave you a cheese ball of your own becausssse he remembered you devouring to the two he brought to the Thanksssssgiving dinner. I ssssstill have nightmaressss about what you did when you got hold of a turkey leg…”

 

            “I said I was sorry about that.”

 

            “Yessss, well I could’ve gone my whole life without knowing you can ssssstrip meat off a bone just by sssssuction.” Snake paused, humming thoughtfully while he packed a wicker basket. “Though that kind of talent might jusssst help convince our little Sssstar to get rid of the nussssiance.”

 

            “I… I am sure he is not that bad. I mean, Star continues to tolerate the little bastard’s stupidity so there must be something redeemable.”

 

            “He forgot Sssstar’ssss birthday.”

 

            Zero stirred his tea absently. “He does not believe in birthdays, Snake. Says it is an idiotic, meaningless gesture invented by superstitious humans or some nonsense like that. Hell, _I_ do not celebrate my activation day.”

 

“Yet you sssssstill went out of your way to throw him a ssssssurprissssse party. You’re the one who baked the cake, dug up the decorationsssss, and got Jewel to call the ressst of Sssstarssss friendssss. You even made up a bunch of origami ssssstarssss to hang about the place.”

 

“All I ended up doing was making Star cry.”

 

Letting out a sharp rasp, Snake said, “He wassss crying becausssse you made him _happy_. Ssssstar only got upsssset when he realized you’d up and run off.”

 

“I thought I hurt him, Snake. I did break into his quarters to do all that, you know.”

 

He shrugged. “Eh, I do that all the time. Ssssstar hassssn’t really complained about it too much. Except for me making a messssss in the kitchen whenever I make him breakfasssst.”

 

“You _used_ to sneak in, you mean. I think the idiot was very clear you were never to see Star again.”

 

“He doessssn’t notice ssssshit like a ssssseven ssssomething green monsssster ssssstand right in the kitchen.” Snake gulped the last of his tea. “All that matterssss issss hisssss ressssearch.”

 

Zero only laughed. “So Star does not matter?”

 

“Blondie that’ssss exactly the point. To him, Ssssstar issssn’t important at all. The fucking jackassssss conssssstantly demeanssss him and hisssss hobbiesssss for being ‘frivoloussss’ and ‘sssssilly’. He callssss Ssssstar a paranoid idiot whenever he hassss nightmaressss about…about Mercury. He’ssss been cutting him off from hissss friendssss sssssince the day they ssssstarted dating. Like hisssss blackmailing me becaussssse I pointed out what a loussssy piece of ssssshit he wasss to Sssstar. Then he goesss and runssss Jewel off becausssse Jewel tried to get Ssssstar to leave him.  But you…,” purred Snake, closing the basket as he turned to Zero. “He won’t dare fuck around with you, Blondie. You can get assssss clossse asssss you wissssh to Sssstar and the little cunt will be too fucking terrified to sssssay or do a god damn thing.”

 

            “Thank you, Snake,” Zero growled. “The monster greatly appreciates being feared by the rabble.”

 

            “You might be a monsssster, but you’re a consssssiderate monsssster.” He smiled broadly at his young friend, showing off many needle-like teeth. “Which issss why you’re going to be a good little monsssster and go get cleaned up. You don’t want to be late for your firsssst date, do you Blondie?”

 

            “Snake, I…I cannot do this. Infidelity is wrong, isn’t it?”

 

            “Given the circumsssstancessss? No.” Snake gently pushed him towards the bathroom. “Now, quit arguing and take a sssssshower. I laid you out sssssome nice clothessss and there’ssss a little bottle of cologne too. I’ll do the wassssshing up. Oh! I almosssssst forgot: Will you give thissss to Sssstar?”

 

            Zero sighed and, with a nod, took the large plush toy from Snake. He sat it on the table beside the picnic basket, then went to get ready for his date.

           

 

           


	4. Ants At A Picnic

_Vendredi 14 Février 2014, 06:08:18 AM_

_Whale Gulch, California_

 

            Star almost didn’t hear the soft knock at the door over the incessant snoring upstairs. He sighed, setting his coffee aside as he went to the door. He barely opened it when he was confronted by a rotund toy dragon.

            “Hello, Star!” chirped a voice as the dragon’s little paw waved at him. “You seem lonely, so Snake sent me to cheer you up!”

            “Zero!” Giggling, he took the plush from him and let his friend in, idly noticing he also brought a picnic basket. “It’s very nice to see you.”

            “Same,” he replied, blushing as Star pecked him on the cheek. Zero glanced around, grinning at the decorations. Then he caught sight of the dining table. “You have out done yourself. The fancy table settings, mood lighting, and such a delicious breakfast too! I am impressed.”

            “Merci. Now, what are you doing ‘ere, mon grand méchant loup?” asked Star, lightly smacking his hand away from the crepes. “I dzhought you ‘ad dze duel at dawn, no?”

            Zero glanced away, sneaking a strawberry. “I have had what is referred to as a change of heart.”

            “So you finally realized dzat Rock and Mega Man are dze same person?”

            The taller robot just chewed silently.

            “’e is a very sweet boy… I am glad you didn’t go dzrough with it.” Star sighed and gently brushed a stray hair out of Zero’s face. “You need to let dzem fix dzat memory problem. It might even stop dze ‘eadaches you keep ‘aving.”

            “I would rather wait till the work is finished on the space elevator before seeking help. My brother has enough to worry about right now without having to deal with me.”

            “What about King, dzen? Surely ‘e can elp, yes?”

            The look Zero gave him was both filled with rage and utter terror. “No. I would rather die than let him touch me.” His expression softened as he reached out to stroke Star’s cheek. “I know you worry, but it will be fine for now. This can wait a little longer.”

            “You are going to get badly ‘urt is you keep putting it off…”

            “I promise it will be fine.” A very loud snore caught his attention. “Why is the idiot…eh, Gravity still asleep?”

            Star rolled his eyes. “Because I am trying to be nice and let ‘im sleep in. ‘e was exhausted when we finished last night.”

            “Really? Spent after just one minute?”

            “Oh, no-no-no!” Star gave him a thin smile. “Mon loup, ‘e managed to go almost six before ‘e rolled over and went offline.”

            “That must be a new record for him.” Stealing another strawberry, Zero leaned closer to Star and suddenly asked, “Does he make you happy, Star?”

            “I’m sorry?”

            “I want to know if being with Gravity makes you happy.”

            There was a long silence as Star tried to think of something to say. Before he could figure out a proper answer, there was a loud snort from upstairs.

            “OH HOLY SHIT!” came the shout as Gravity apparently tumbling out of bed with a heavy thud. They both stared up at the floor above as he cursed and thumped around in a hurry to get his armor on. 

            “Bonjour, ma chérie!” chirped Star when Gravity came running down the stairs. “Would you like some breakfast? I spent all morning making it.”

            “I haven’t got time for this crap. I’m running late, sweetie,” said Gravity, absently brushing past him towards the front door. “My alarm didn’t go off!”

            Star sighed but kept up the pleasant façade. “I know. I turned it off.”

            Gravity whirled around, glaring at him in disbelief. “Why the fuck would you do that?! I told you today was very important!”

            “Really?” Star stared at him in surprise, hoping that he actually remembered.

            “Yes, love. We’re finishing up the lift platforms today and I have got to be there to make sure the contragrav works right. I should’ve stayed overnight but with the way you’ve been carrying on…” Groaning, Gravity checked his internal clock. He didn’t seem to see the tears welling up in Star’s eyes or the angry red glare from Zero. “And I’m over two hours late getting there, so I have got to get going.”

            “But you…we….”

            Gravity let out a huff, then leaned in and gave Star a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. “Listen, sweetie, I know you were just being nice but you need to stop this nonsense. It’s just a big waste of time that you could spend working on more important things.”

            “But dzis is important!” snapped Star, trying not to cry. “It’s important to _me_ , Gravity. Spending **_today_** with you is very important to me. Can’t you just tell dzem dzat you’ll be in tomorrow? What can it ‘urt?”

            He balked at the smaller robot’s suggestion. “Are you mad?! That’ll put us behind by a whole day! We are on a strict schedule, love. Not to mention the monetary cost of such a delay. Don’t you realize how much money Bass sunk into this already? We’ve got to think of the _investors_ , Star.”

            “Is…is dzat all dzat matters to you? Dze money?”

            “Well, financial security is vital to a stable home.”

            Star bit his lip to keep from screaming. In a strained tone, he said,  “It’s not much of a ‘ome if you’re always alone…”

            “Sweetie, this isn’t the time,” grumbled Gravity as he leaned in for another careless kiss. “Look, why don’t we go out and do something when I get back?”

            “And when are you going to be back?”

            Gravity let out a nervous cough. “Well, uh… If I’m lucky, King might let me leave sometime late Sunday night.”

            “SUNDAY?!” snapped Star. “You won’t be back ‘till Sunday night?!”

            “ ** _If_** I’m lucky. Honestly, I don’t think we’ll be done calibrating until Tuesday afternoon.”

            “Now it’s _Tuesday_?”

            “Star, stop being so foolish,” Gravity huffed as he rolled his eyes. “I thought I told you to quit this nonsense and find something productive to do. If you’re so lonely, why don’t you go back up to the Wily Star and help out Astro and Galaxy? They could use the help.”

            Star cringed, remembering all too clearly being stalked through the dark corridors and that night Mercury backed him into a corner. “I…I still don’t feel well enough to go back to work, Gravity.”

            “Oh god, not this again. You’re malingering, Star,” came the hiss. “Look, I know you scared of the Stardroids, but you need to get over it. I have. They’re perfectly respectable robots now and very useful, too. In fact, Mercury’s been asking about you for _months_ since he got out of the repair bay. Bit annoying, really, what with all the ‘beloved’ this and ‘my precious’ that. Told him you were my boyfriend and he just collapsed into a puddle laughing.”

            Quaking and hugging the dragon tight, Star collapsed into a chair and did his best not to start screaming. He stopped when he felt Zero’s arms wrap snugly around him.

             Gravity finally noticed the blond robot and gave him a dirty look.  “Dear god, what are _you_ doing here? It’s your fault Star isn’t getting any better, coddling him and encouraging this foolishness. All because of that stupid fight Snake and Mercury had was two years ago. I don’t know why you twits keep dragging poor little Star into it. What he needs is to stop dwelling on this nonsense that he has nothing whatsoever to do with! Star needs to just get out and start doing a proper day’s work then he’ll get better. You’ll see.”

            Nervously, Star looked up at Zero and saw he was smiling politely yet his eyes still glowed bright red.

            “You certainly seem to always know what is best, do you not Gravity?” came the friendly purr as Zero gently stroked Star’s hair. “But as much as I would love to hear how you know exactly how Star should be living his life, I am afraid that you that you are now almost three hours late.”

            “Oh shit! Bye, sweetie,” barked Gravity as he bolted out the door.

            There was a brief silence before Star finally broke down and began sobbing. He buried his face against Zero, crying so hard his mascara started to run. Finally, after being softly shushed and held, Star get himself under control.

            “I am sorry about dzat. I…I didn’t dzink ‘e’d bring up dze incident.”

            “Bastard has no right talking to you that way,” snarled Zero. “Does he not know what that filth did to you?”

            Star let out a bitter laugh. “Gravity says it is all in my ‘ead. Says I’ve been read too many silly novels…”

            The red eyes burned with outrage. “Right. You get raped and that pompous ass just brushes it off?”

            “I… I never told Mercury no.”

            “Well, you sure as hell never told him yes either.”

            “Can…can we not talk about dzis? Not today…”said Star as he squirmed away from him.

            “Very well.” Taking great care, Zero reached over with a napkin and started wiping Star’s face clean. “What do you wish to talk about, my dear?”

            “You shouldn’t call me dzat.” He smiled and took the napkin. “It is dzat sort of dzing dzat causes people to talk…”

            “Really? About what, dear little Star?”

            “Mon loup, you really need to learn ‘ow to behave! You keep talking like dzat and people are going to dzink we are lovers.”

            “So ‘my wolf’ is perfectly acceptable?” said Zero with a blue-eyed smirk. “And what is wrong with us being lovers? Nearly everyone in the base believes we already are.”

            Star rolled his eyes. “And dzey are all silly little gossips! You know I am already taken.”

            “He does not seem very keen on keeping you.”

            “You shouldn’t say dzings like dzat. It’s….it’s not appropriate.”

            Zero growled. “Why do you stay with the bastard? He treats you like garbage. And do not sit there and tell me it is the sex because I know for a fact you are deeply unsatisfied on the point. In fact, he does _nothing_ to satisfy you, physically or emotionally or even intellectually. You have nothing in common with Gravity. He does not make you happy, Star.”

            “’appy? Why should dzat even matter? I stay because Gravity is _safe_ , mon loup. ‘e’s a dull, unimaginative lout who never takes risks because ‘e dzinks too small. ‘is only passion is ‘is work. ‘e’s grounded and practical and…and stupid.” Star laughed softly, smile twisting unnaturally as the memories came back to him. “Oh yes, mon loup, ‘e is a stupid, stupid man. If he was a smart man like Elec would have run you off long ago. But Gravity is too stupid and too pigheaded to be a jealous man. And for dzis I am grateful. Passionate men are jealous and love too deeply. Dzey only end up ‘urting you.”

            “But Gravity _has_ hurt you, Star.” Kneeling down, Zero laid his head in Star’s lap. “The idiot makes you cry. He stands there and cuts you down all the time. He ignores you, treats your hopes and fears as though they are meaningless… And he is chummy with your fucking rapist. Star, you are not safe with Gravity.”

            “I don’t know what you mean, Zero.”

            “He is killing you!” barked Zero. “I do not mean in a physical sense. The idiot is killing your soul, my dear. And I cannot stand by any longer, watching him treat you this way. I will kill him myself if this continues!”

            Star almost snapped at him, then he softened. He started stroking Zero’s hair. “Oh mon loup, you are a very silly little boy sometimes. Always ‘aving to come dashing to dze rescue. Always protecting. Like dze big puppy who does not know quite what to do with ‘imself.” Leaning down, he kissed the top of Zero’s head. “Now, ‘ave a seat and ‘elp yourself to some breakfast. I would ‘ate to see it go to waste and I know at least you appreciate a good meal.”

            “Thank you.” Smiling or at least doing his best to, Zero sat next to Star. “Sorry to upset you.”   

            “It’s all right, mon loup.”

            They settled into eating silently, with Star glancing over and noticing the blond was only picking at his food. Then Zero broke the silence abruptly.

“Damn it, why do you stay with him? Star, you can do so much better than that idiot!”

            “Zero, please stop. I will not talk about dzis anymore. Not today…” Star sighed, pouring himself another cup of coffee. “Why don’t we talk of happier dzings?”

            “As you wish, dear Star,” purred Zero, finishing off the last crepes. “What do you want to talk about?”

            Star grinned. “Well, you can begin by telling me you plans for today. Such as if you’re going out…and who you are taking on dze picnic. ‘ave you find someone? A lover perhaps?”

            Zero tried to stall with a forkful of crepe. When he realized that Star was not going to be dissuaded, he took a sip of coffee and said, “Since you asked, I… Yes. I am in love. I have been trying to tell them for years but Snake… But I never could find the words to tell them what I felt, so I kept it too myself. I tried to be a good friend, hoping this person would see… But now I think I have finally found the words.”

            “Comment cela?”

            “Sorry. I am getting caught up with words again,” muttered Zero with a soft blush. “This may seem a bit foolish, I came to see if you wanted to go out with riding with me today.”

            There was a long silence as Star just stared at him. “Mon loup, you… Do you realize what today is?”

            “Oh, I am very aware.” Grinning, Zero reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded paper heart. “Happy Valentines, Star.”

            Star took the little heart in a shaking hand. He clutched it tight, the tears flowing again.

            “Please do not cry!” Zero was back at his side, wrapping an arm around the now sobbing robot. “Please. I…I did not wish to hurt you. All I wanted was to make you happy.”

            “Ma très chère loup, I am not unhappy,” Star said with a smile. “Dzis is very sweet of you. It…it’s dze kind of dzing Elec used to do. If ‘e dzought I was upset or lonely, ‘e would always come sweeping with some silly dzing to make me feel better. And now it seems you ‘ave come to take ‘is place as my dashing knight.”

            “I am happy to be of service.” Wiping Star’s cheek, Zero asked, “But Elec? I…I never thought he was the romantic. Seems more the ‘wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am’ type. Most musicians are.”

            “Dzat was not Elec, despite ‘is reputation. ‘e is  very sweet underneath all ‘is bragging and outrageous antics. And ‘e was a wonderful lover…” sighed Star. “In fact, when ‘e showed up last night begging me to take ‘im back, I almost… But I didn’t dzough, dze truth be damned! ‘e promised nothing would take ‘im away from me only to turn around and abandoned me. No goodbyes, no explanations…nothing! And now Elec ‘as dze nerve to come back? ‘e broke my ‘eart!” Star slammed his mug down on the table. He took a deep breath, then said calmly, “Dzat is all in the past now.”

             “Elec was here?” Zero’s eyes looked like bright fiery coals.

            “Mon loup, I just said nothing ‘appened. Even if I ‘ad wanted to, Gravity was ‘ere. Even ‘e isn’t so oblivious as to not notice dzat. Oh, did Gravity lose ‘is temper when Elec told ‘im why ‘e came… Dzey nearly ‘ad a brawl right out in ‘allway before I stopped dzem. Dzen I ‘ad some words with Elec and told ‘im to leave.”

            “But he still came to see you again,” hissed Zero almost under his breath. “Never again. That was the deal…”

            “Deal? What are you talking about?”

            Zero stepped away, fumbling for a cigarette as he started talking rapidly, “Look, I… I have to come clean with you, dear Star. I did a horrible thing. Elec was no good for you, so I… I decided to drive him off. But he would not listen to reason, and when threats did not work I… I beat the hell out of him. But he just refused to give in. Even after I smashed his hand and shattered his eye, he would not give you up. I think he would have died for your sake.”  
             He looked down at his hands, eyes fading to blue. “I was so angry, but nothing else was working… In a rage, I threatened Elec’s family. Told him I would kill them all, one-by-one. That was what finally did it. He agreed to leave and never see or contact you again,  or else they would suffer. I did not even let him tell you good bye. I only wanted to keep you safe. You could do much better than the likes of him. If I had realized then how badly that would hurt you, I never would have done it.”

            “You left out ‘ow Snake was dze mastermind behind it,” Star said quietly.

            “What I did was unforgivable, dearest, but I did it alone. Snake was not involved!”

            Star got up and fetched a shabby letter from the wall cubby. He handed it to Zero wordlessly, watching as the tall robot read and re-read it.

            “Flash told you…” Zero said coldly, then his tone went hot. “He had no right to do this! Snake trusted him to keep quiet and—”

            “And Flash is also my older brother.” When he noticed the weird look Zero gave him, Star sighed. “What? Dze first four model lines all generally dzink of ourselves as siblings.”

            “So you are basically sleeping with your brother?” grumbled Zero.

            With a huff, Star took the letter back. “Gravity and I may be from the same line, but ‘e is not my brother. He and the older ones are more like my cousins, technically. Gyro is my older brother, though. It…well, it is very complicated.”

            “We are getting off the subject. Brother or not, Flash still had no right to tell you anything.”

            “So you and Snake were justified in torturing a man I loved dearly? You threaten ‘is family, including dear little Roll, all of whom ‘ad never done you any ‘arm just because you where jealous?! Dzen you dzought you could just lie to me about it for nearly two years?!”

            Zero shrank back. “I…I am not proud of what I did. But it was to keep you _safe_ , Star! I was not there to protect from Mercury but I swore I would never let that happen to you again.”

            “Elec is **_nothing_** like dzat monster.”

            “I… I know he is not. That’s why Elec had to go.” Crushing out the butt of his cigarette, Zero said softly, “I lied when I said it was just to keep you safe. I…I could not stand seeing you with that pompous ass. I hated him because he was with you. I did a jealous, spiteful thing in driving him away, Star. I knew you never would forgive me for it. Good bye.”

            As Zero began to dash past him, Star reached out and grabbed the still damp blond braid. “Pardon? I did not say that I would not forgive you.”

            “Star?”

            He smiled up at Zero, toying with his hair. “You really are a big, foolish puppy, mon loup. I forgave you a long time ago. I am only ‘urt dzat you took so long to confess.”

            “I am sorry. Oh god, I am so sorry.”

            “Zero?” Star tugged his braid so that they wear eye to eye. “I’m not angry. And it’s not me you should ask for forgiveness.”

            The taller robot’s eyes flashed red again as his expression darkened. “It will be a cold day in hell when I ask anything of that piece of garbage.”

            Star just sighed in annoyance. “One day, I swear I will teach you ‘ow to behave. Now, do you mind clearing the table while I go get ready?”

            “Ready?” Eyes flickering back to blue, Zero cocked his head. “For what, Star dear?”

            “You did wish to take me on a ride, no? Dzough I am not fond of dze motorbike, it would be nice to get out for a little while. Especially in dze company of a dear friend.”

            Without warning, Zero scooped the smaller robot up into a crushing bear-hug. He finally released Star, blushing shyly. “Sorry.”

            “It’s all right, mon loup.” Star smiled, kissing him on the cheek as he turned to go upstairs.

           

_February 14, 2014, 10:58:39 AM PST  
25050 Ward Avenue, Fort Bragg, CA  _

Elec pulled the Trans Am into the garage, quietly brooding over that morning’s events as he went inside. Things had begun terribly when he was oh so gently woke up by seven odd feet of pissed off Snake Man. He’d been warned, but what Star said had torn him up so badly that he needed some comfort, even if was in Gemini’s bed. By the time they were done, Elec already had enough reasons to regret it without needing to meet the big bad boyfriend his promiscuous bandmate conveniently forgot to tell him about. Luckily, the big green bastard was too broken up about finding Gemini was cheating on him notice Elec’s escape.

Then he gotten back to the lab to find Blues waiting for him. It took all his willpower not to fry the little bastard. He took some solace in the fact that Guts and Bomb backed him up when the bastard told them the full extent of the measures he’d decided were necessary to protect the little ones. Elec knew they needed a better security system, but ten-foot tall, three-foot thick walls with razor wire and 24-7 Met patrols? That was going way too far. Elec had been prepared for something crazy from the bastard, but it had been even worse than the letter said.

            Next was the phone call from Stern about that that Turing crap again. He told the old man he had a test scheduled for next Friday, but got an earful about it again. Stern even had the nerve to bring up the Daly City Riots. At least the old man was sympathetic when Elec told him about Rock running off again.  He really appreciated Stern’s offer to see about getting them a teleport blocker despite everything else.

            And then Elec had to deal with Rock. It had been like talking to a brick wall-wait, no. A brick wall might actually have been easier to talk with. He could see that no matter what he said, his little brother was going to stubbornly keep right on acting like the Wily ‘bots weren’t evil bastards. The poor kid even thought that the monster was a decent person even after seeing what he was capable of. Maybe if he’d shown Rock the unedited version…

            Elec sighed, trying to take a drag off his vaporizer. When he realized it was empty, Elec dug out a cigarette. Then he went to his bedroom and smiled at figure rummaging through his dresser, immediately recognizing the x-shaped scar on his face. “Hi! You know the valuables are in the closet safe, right?”

            “Oh shit!” They straightened up, grinning broadly at him. “Hey, I know this looks really bad but I can assure you it is for the greater good.”

            “Right…” Matching the kid’s grin with a very nasty one of his own, Elec said politely, “Who are you and what are you doing in my house?”

            The kid blinked in confusion. “Your house? But…but this is Speedwagon’s place, right?”

            “I’m going to ask you again: What the hell are you doing in my house?”

             “Wait… You’re Speedwagon?” muttered the kid. “This isn’t right. Speedwagon…well, his real name is Elec and he… Well, I never pegged him as the type to go business casual. I mean, yeah the eye’s the same but your clothes and hair are all wrong.”

            “You break in to my home, dig through my underwear, make cracks about my fashion sense, and now you have the nerve to insult my hair?”

            “Uh, actually it looks very good on you. I just thought you were a redhead with really long hair, not a shaggy bobbed brunette.”

            “Sorry to disappoint,” Elec growled. He engaged a pair of voltaic gauntlets and glared at the kid. “This is your last chance to tell me who the fuck you are and what you are doing.”

            “My name is Axl and I’m from—” The kid suddenly stopped and stared at the gauntlets. “OH MY GOD! Are those Telsa Talons?! Holy fucking hell, I’ve never seen a pair outside of a museum before! Do they really work?”

            “You’re about to find out if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

            “Maybe we should get more comfortable. What I’ve got to ask is kind of a big favor.”

            Elec smiled coldly. Without a word, he lead the odd kid to the living and gestured to the sofa. “Sit.”

            “Thanks.” Plopping down, the kid grinned up at him. “I know you probably aren’t going to like this, but you have to cancel your concert tonight.”

            “Are you fucking serious?!” roared Elec. “It’s Valentine’s Day! Dolly’s had us lined up for this gig for months and you think I’m going cancel just because some crazy hobo told me too?!”

            “Hey! I am not some crazy hobo!” the kid snapped back. “I happen to be here because she—”

            “She?” Elec groaned loudly, reaching up to yanked off the wig. “Of course she’d be behind a stunt like this.”

            The kid raised an eyebrow. “Uh, what?”

            “Alice sent you, didn’t see?” he hissed as he shook his hair free from the mesh cap. “Look, Axis or whatever the fuck your name is: You go back to and tell her that I am not canceling. Alice should have asked us where we were playing tonight weeks ago. Just because she waited till the last fucking minute, then books a venue in Fort Bragg too doesn’t I have to lose face professionally for her sake. If anything, Alice should be canceling out of consideration for her fellow artists!”

            “Who the fuck is Alice?” The kid’s eyes went glassy for a moment, then he frowned. “Oh, right… The ex-girlfriend. Almost forgot about her. You really date too many human chicks, you know?”

            “The fuck? I’ve never date Alice,” Elec snarled. “She’s an overbearing, backstabbing, vicious psycho bitch. If I wanted to deal with that bullshit I’d get back together with Gemini.”

            The kid grinned. “Oops! I guess I’m getting ahead of myself again. See, you will end up getting drunk and in the sack with the psycho bitch after you catch Rock in bed with… Uh, you know, I really shouldn’t tell you who he is. It will only make things even worse.”

            “Let me guess: His name is Blues and the ‘errands’ he had to take care of involve deflowering our sibling.”

            “Uh…that’s not exactly right. But Blues is part of it.” The kid gave him an even bigger smile, showing off a set of fangs that reminded Elec of someone. “By the way, you look much better with red hair. Not that you aren’t very hot anyway.”

            “Thank you.” Elec disengaged the gauntlets and sat down in an armchair. “Now, will you please explain why the hell I must cancel my concert, Mister… What did you say your name was?”

            “I shouldn’t have told you it, but seeing that everything else is going wrong…” The kid sighed and pulled out a grubby pack of cigarettes with a brand name Elec didn’t recognize. “My name’s Axl and I was sent back three hundred years to stop a massive war that will lead to several even more terrible wars, a galaxy spanning plague, and the near total extinction of all life on Earth.”

            After a brief pause, Elec shrugged. “All right. So what does a Valentine’s concert have to do with the fate of the world?”

            “You believe me? Just like that?” asked Axl in shock, accidently crushing his last cigarette. He looked at it sadly then tossed the empty pack aside.

            “I’m the son of one of the greatest scientist ever to live. One of my little brothers is literally a super hero. Our house pets are a talking dog and cat, and a one-bird wrecking crew.” Elec smiled and gave Axl a cigarette. “With a family like that, time travelers are the least weird thing I’ve dealt with.”

            “Okay then…” Axl took a deep drag, huffing out a plume of smoke. “It’s not really the concert that’s important. You just cannot be at Dollies’ tonight, and then the brawl won’t happen that leads to the creation of Vile.”

            “And what is this ‘VAVA’ thing?”

            “Vile isn’t a ‘thing’. He’s a…a monster. He wasn’t always such a horror. Vile used to be what they like to call a ‘sweet kid’.” When he noticed the look on Elec’s face, Axl sighed. “Alright, so he was always a bit of a bastard. But his heart used to be in the right place, metaphorically speaking. It might have not been _his_ heart, but he did have one. He showed it to me once… It’s actually kind of hard for me to talk about him because we were… well, we will be fucking each other. Kind of gives me a vested interest in making sure he doesn’t end up becoming Vile, doesn’t it?”

            “You’re— excuse me, you will be sleeping with a man that I’m presuming is over three hundred years your senior…” Brow furrowing in thought, Elec inhaled deeply then blew out an angry plume of smoke. “If this is so important, then why don’t you go to Blues and tell him not to go to Dollies’ tonight?”

            “I already tried that at least four hundred times! He never fucking listens to me. Things always end with Blues either beating the holy shit out of me or us doing the nasty in the pasty. Usually both.” Suddenly, a look of realization crossed Axl’s face. “Wait… I never told you who he used to be.”

            “Lucky guess. But I just can’t see a reason for the bastard to start a fight tonight?”

            Axl coughed nervously. “Oh, there’s going to be one hell of a reason once Rock shows up…”

            “Rock won’t be leaving the house tonight. I made sure of that!” hissed Elec. “If he wants to go anywhere for any reason, he has to have a chaperone. And I doubt Guts’ will give him a lift up there tonight. He’ll be out with his buddies at the karaoke all night.”

            “It’s not Guts. Fire’s going to give Rock the keys to his Jeep to go meet his date tonight.”

            Elec only smiled, then pulled out his phone. “Really? So it’ll be Fire that fucks up? Now that shouldn’t be too hard to fix…”

            “He won’t answer.” Axl’s tone was faltering as he said, “I tried that, too. About seventy different ways. And let me just say that Fire can be one mean motherfucker when he’s lit. If he isn’t black out drunk right now, Fire will still end up letting Rock go out no matter what you say. In fact, there’s nothing you can do that will stop Dad and him from getting together tonight…”

            He stared at the kid for a long time. Then Elec put his phone away and leaned back in the chair. “Really? Then why bother cancelling if Bass and Blues are going to get into a fight either way?”

            “I never told you Dad’s name!” snapped Axl, then he frowned. “You know, it’s kind of creepy how you keep guessing this crap.”

            “I’m just that good,” Elec purred. “Besides, you look like Bass, talk like him, and are just as rude as he is. And just a dumb as he is, too. You are completely out of you fucking league here, aren’t you?”

            “Oh fucking shit…” Axl slumped with a miserable sob. “I fucking told them I can’t do this shit alone. I told the old bastard let me get some help, but no! ‘You can handle things,’ he says. Up until three weeks ago I never even knew his fucking name and when I finally meet my Dad, he immediately starts jerking me back and forth in fucking time to fix all his and Wily’s fuck-ups?! God I wish X was here…”

            Elec jerked forward and glared at Axl. “What does my baby brother have to do with this?”

            “A whole lot.  It’s a really long story, so here’s the short version: X is this big hero in my time. He will be the ancestor for all Reploids, like me. Then, after Zero seals himself away and I ‘disappear’, X is left to continue fighting alone. Then Zero comes back and… Well, things get messy and nearly all life on Earth is wiped out. The world survives, barely. No one realizes it’s too late by then. Even after everything X and Zero do, the Elf Wars doom both Earth and humanity to a slow death. Not even biometals can stop it…”

            “And Bass sent you back to stop all this?” Taking a deep drag off his cigarette, Elec bore his fangs in a cold smile. “That isn’t at all like the rotten son of bitch. I thought he’d try to conqueror the whole damn universe himself, just to prove that he was better than everyone else.”

            “He’s dead by then. X executes him as a Maverick, two days after I ‘disappear’.” Axl stood, his expression blank. “Do you have any booze in this place? I need a fucking drink.”

            Elec lead him to the kitchen and got them both a beer. After watching the kid chug three beers in quick succession, he asked, “So what are we going to do now?”

            “Well, obviously you cancel your concert, go home, and keep Rock from going out tonight.”

            “I thought you said that was unavoidable.”

            Taking another beer, Axl sighed. “No. I said that Rock giving it up to my dear old dad is one event set in fucking stone. There is _nothing_ to stop that. Believe me, I have tried more times than I’d like to think about… But we can stop—well, postpone Blues finding out.”

            “But Blues is going to eventually realize Rock’s not a virgin. By the way, when does he get a unit?”

            “Today, a Valentine’s gift from the old bastard. And yes, Blues will find out. When he does, he is going to go completely bugfuck. That is also unavoidable. What I’m trying to do is stop this from snowballing into a huge disaster.” Axl downed his beer. “Do you know what the butterfly effect is?”

            “A butterfly flaps it wings, leading to a catastrophic hurricane? Yes, I do understand chaos theory.”

            “Great! So you realize how important this is.”

            Shaking his head, Elec sat aside his undrunk bottle. “No. I think you’ve failed to realize just what the butterfly effect means. See, it’s not about being able to find the one little event that triggers a bigger one, but the fact that it is _impossible_ to do so. What you fail to realize is that there are just too many little butterflies flapping around to pick out the one who caused the hurricane. Also, it’s a shit analogy for time-travel since weather is chaotic and short-term whereas you need to think something like climate since that is predictable and long-term.”

            “But I have to do something! You have to help me, Elec,” gasped Axl. “Future generations are going to suffer horrors that you cannot even begin to imagine!”

            “I don’t doubt that.” Lighting up two cigarettes, Elec passed one to Axl. “But you are risking fucking up the whole universe just set right the past wrongs. You don’t understand that crushing one butterfly to stop the hurricane that kills a hundred may cause the tsunami that leads to the deaths of thousands. What if by canceling the concert tonight, Bass just takes my little brother back to our house? And Blues finds them there, goes berserk and ends up hurting my other siblings? And any visitors we might have tonight? What if that’s how your mom ended up the… ** _thing_** Bass rebuilds her into, Axl?”

            Hands shaking, Axl fought back tears. “What the fuck am I going to do? Just…just let it happen?!”

            “Calm down, kid. I have a plan, but first I’ve got to ask you one thing: Can you shapeshift into an older model robot?”

            Axl blinked at him. “Hey! Will you cut that out? I told you it’s creeping me the fuck out!”

            “Okay, I’ll quit jerking your chain.” Elec pulled the manila envelope out of his pocket. “Let’s just say you aren’t the only time traveler running around here.”

             “What the fuck is that?”

            “An extensive timeline of events for the next thirty-two years, give or take a few months. Plus some details about what happens three-hundred years, including Sigma, Weil, and those very nice little orphans. All courtesy of Quint and his misadventures trying to go ‘home’.”

            Axl stared at him in horrified silence, then wailed, “No! No-no, this cannot be happening! You aren’t supposed to know anything! It’s all doomed! Everything is going wrong now…”

            In one shift motion, Elec caught the now sobbing kid before he hit the floor. He shushed Axl as he half-dragged and half-carried the boy to his bedroom and laid him in the bed. Petting him gently, Elec waited till the weeping subsided to a soft whimper before he said, “I know you’ve had some heavy shit thrust upon you, but you need to calm down and listen. I had a long talk with Quint last night about what happened when he went dicking around the temporal space. And I think I’ve worked out a plan but I need you to pull your shit together, Axl. Now, can you or can you not use that shapeshifting gimmick to impersonate a Robot Master?”

            “I’ve _tried that_!” gasped Axl. “Being the old bastard  and seducing Rock before he does always ends with my Dad knocking the living fuck out of me. Trying to seduce Blues by disguising myself as Rock never works out. And the one time I tried impersonating Rock and suggested a three-way, things went really, really bad…” Axl grinned up at Elec. “Upside, having a near-death experience is kind of fun after the pain cut-outs kick in and you get to the freaky hallucinations.”

            “Charming. Look, I’m not asking you to do any of that.”

            Axl sat up with a frown, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “So who the hell do you need me to shift into then?”

            “Elec.”

            “Uh, dude... I’m sorry but that won’t work. I can’t play guitar worth a shit and you do not want to hear me sing.”

            Elec rolled his eyes with a groan. “I didn’t say you were going to be ‘Speedwagon’. I said I need you to be ‘Elec’ tonight. Basically, you’re going to be me and give my ass an alibi.”

            “Alibi? What good is that going to do?”

            “Blues is going to show up at Dollies’ and starts a brawl while my band’s there no matter what. But there’s nothing saying that Elec has to be there, just Speedwagon.” Smiling, he stood and began laying clothes out on the bed. “I might be getting into a fight at Dollies’, but you-excuse me, _Elec_ is going to be in Berkley giving a lecture on applied nuclear physics.”

            “I’m doing what?!” barked Axl with a surprised look on his face. “I don’t know the first fucking thing about that shit!”

            “Is your operating system backwards compatible?”

            “Not exactly, but part of my ‘gimmick’ lets me emulate the necessary hardware and software to run stuff like floppy disks. Most of the time...”

            “Excellent!” Elec tossed a thumb-drive along with a brief case. “Slot that and you’ll have all the information you’ll need to answer the students’ questions. My notes and the handouts are in the case. Don’t worry, it’s just a little seminar geared towards the undergrads who want extra credit. The lecture’s supposed to start at five and last about two hours. Just make sure the students that show up sign the attendance book.”

            “You can’t be serious,” Axl growled. “I mean, you scheduled this concert months ago and now you’re telling me that you also planned on giving a lecture in fucking Berkley tonight too? How the fuck did you expect to be in two places at once…” His voice trailed off as Elec’s plan dawned on him.

            Elec smile down at the kid. “Quint is a very helpful guy once you get past the bullshit. He was even nice enough to talk with Copy M and have him come to the lecture too. As one ‘Rock Light’. Now, after you’re done with the lecture and manage to pull yourself away from the students, ‘Elec’ is going out with his little brother and hitting the clubs tonight. And they is going to be seen running around San Francisco by as many people as possible tonight, right Axl?”

            “You…you’re using me and M as bait! You think Blues is going to be stupid enough to run down to Berkley after you go to all the trouble of grounding Rock?”

            “Yes, because I _told_ him I was going to take Rock along with me tonight to make sure he stayed out of trouble. Knowing Blues, he’ll assume I’m planning to take our dear little brother’s virginity personally. I want you to do your damnedest to make his paranoid fears reality. And, while he’s busy chasing after you, I will be here making sure Bass keeps his filthy paws off the real Rock.”

“Elec, this isn’t going to work…”

            “Well, you’ve already tried everything else!” Elec snapped. “Maybe this will be the solution.”

            “But it solves **_nothing_**!” Axl snarled back. “Blues is going to realize I’m not you and M’s not his brother, and teleport back to Fort Bragg. No matter what happens, Rock still goes to Dollies’, knocks boots with my old man and then ends up killing Blues by accident in the ensuing brawl.”

            Elec blinked at him in surprise. “But that’s not how it happens according to Quint…”

            “That’s exactly how it happens! Dad told me that he hooks up with your brother, then Blues catches them, goes batshit and winds up dead enough to be made into Vile.”

            “Bass—well, I guess _your_ dad would be Baroque, right?— lied like a fucking dog about what happened.” Taking a deep breath, Elec said softly, “What happens in all the timelines Quint went through is this: Rock goes out on a date with whichever version of Bass exists in that ‘verse. Blues inevitably comes storming in, gets into a fight with Bass, then drags Rock off and almost always rapes him. There’s a few times when Rock actually consents to it, but Blues has no problem using force.”

            “Hey! I know Vile is an evil son of a bitch but he’s not a…well, he wouldn’t… I mean….” Axl’s words faltered out as he thought about it. “Oh my god, it makes so much sense. He’d always get so damn weird whenever people asked about his family. His kid brother was such a nice guy that I always used to wonder why he would never even acknowledge Vile existed…”

            “Yeah… Well, we’ve wasted enough time.” Elec quickly stripped off the polo shirt, revealing the extensive tattoos over his arms and torso as he dug around for a clean tee-shirt. “I’ve got to get my gear together and go make sure Lucifier’s gotten the stage set up for us. Meanwhile, Dr. Elec Light has to get ready to pick up his little brother for a trip down to Berkley.”

             Axl started to protest but finally gave in with a shrug. “Fine. But if this doesn’t work, I won’t just say I told you so. I going to shoot you in both fucking kneecaps, then say it.”

           

             


	5. Limerence

_16:45:09 PM, February 14, 2014  
Dollies’ Seaside Bar, Fort Bragg, CA_

Pulling on a hairband, Elec settled down in the chair to work on his makeup. He had barely opened the tacklebox when Gemini burst into the dressing room.

            “There you are! I have been calling you for hours. After everything you did to me last night, you could at least have the decency to answer the fucking phone!” came the hiss as Gemini and his clone came in dragging a kid behind him. “We have a tiny problem, Elec.”

            “What is it now? I just finished helping Lucy fix that weird reverb problem. And before you ask, Dolly’s already seen and approved the set list for tonight. As per instructions, I made sure it was romantic covers and the happier love songs. And I won’t ad-lib anything… Other than that, I can’t think of a single thing else that could go wrong right now.” He popped the dental covers out of his mouth, revealing razor-sharp fangs as he snarled, “By the way, what have I told you about using my real name in public, fuckboy?”

            Gemini glared at him in mute rage. “You _bastard_. If I didn’t need you alive and intact tonight, I swear to god I’d kill you for that.”

            “Is that all I’m good for? Being your golden goose?” He got up and slammed Gemini against the wall. Engaging a galvanic claw, he bit the other robot’s lip with a growl. “I thought we were past this by now, but I guess you need a reminder about who’s the bitch in this relationship.”

            “Uh, if you guys are going to do _that_ again, you should shut the door please,” said a meek little voice.

            Elec pulled away and got a good look at the small robot in a tacky Valentine’s sweater hiding behind Gemini’s clone. “And who is this?”

            “That is our tiny problem,” panted Gemini. Squirming out of Elec’s grasp, he turned to the kid. “Cadenza, this is my…uh, my friend Mister Speedwagon. Speedwagon, this is Cadenza.”

            “Well, hello!” Grinning broadly, Elec knelt down so he was eyelevel with the kid. He held out his hand, forgetting that he still had on the gauntlet. “Sorry, didn’t realize we had a guest. Very nice to meet you, by the way.”

            “Um, hi…” The boy moved so that the clone was pointedly between him and Elec.

            “Hey, there’s no need to be shy. I’m actually a very friendly person.”

            “You were going to do something really nasty to Mister Gemini, sir,” said Cadenza in a doubtful tone.

            Elec just shrugged. “Trust me, kid. He fucking deserves it.”

            “See, Mister Gemini? I _told_ you what you did this morning was just wrong.”

             “Cadenza, why don’t you go see what Spark’s doing while me and Mister Speedwagon have a little chat?” Gemini hissed behind a forced smile. Once his clone had herded Cadenza out, Gemini slammed the door shut and rounded on Elec. “Do you have any idea how royally fucked we are right now?!”

            “Depends on whether or not you trying to do what I think you’re trying to do with that poor kid…” Elec sat back down and popped a cigarette in his mouth. “I mean, fuck! Even for a robot, that kid is too damn young for you.”

            “Are you mad?!” snapped Gemini, helping himself to the pack. “King will murder me if he thought I did something to his baby son! And I don’t want to know what’s going to happen when his dear old dad finds out Cadenza’s skipped school today to go partying…”

            Rolling his eyes, Elec went back to doing his makeup. “It’s almost five o’clock, Gemsy. School’s already let out and most states won’t even allow robots to enroll. So I really don’t see the problem other than he’s probably using a fake ID to get in.”

            “He’s supposed to be in class in Abashiri Academy for AGI’s right now. Which is in Hokkaido, Japan. A country that actively **_encourages_** robots to behave as humanly as possible.”

            “Well, I’m impressed! You guys finally get recognized as citizens by the Japanese government? I always thought y’all go over to the Russians.”

            “Actually, after Bass threatened to emasculate the Russian ambassador with an orbital laser, I’m surprised they haven’t tried to invade Monsteropolis yet.” Gemini started giggling nervously. “Have I mentioned that  Cadenza’s one of his precious little babies?  Because I think I need to make you very aware of the fact that Bass is extremely protective of his kids. And he’s never been a forgiving nor an understanding person. It be bad enough if he found one of his daughters here, but little Caddie? Let me just say that death would merciful compared to what he’ll do…”

            “Bass and King had kids? I never knew the little fucker was married…” said Elec coldly while he stared hard at the scars zigzagging along  his face. After a moment, he asked, “Honest opinion: Should I cover them up tonight or make them look worse?”

            “NO CORPSE PAINT! Dolly was very definite about not being creepy tonight, so cover all that shit up. Wait! On second thought, just leave the one on the left. The one going over your nose and cheek. It’s kind of dashing, like one of those men on the covers of trashy romances.” Gemini watched him layer on cover-up for a few moments. Then, mulling something over, he said, “Actually, the whole thing between Bass and King is a little complicated. Maybe I should explain the whole situation first, then you might understand just how fucked we are.”

            Elec rolled his eyes as he started lining his lips. “Alright then, princess. Illuminate the grand illuminator!”

“Hahah… Anyway, first things first: King had nothing to do with the kids. He didn’t build them, didn’t program them… in fact, King has no relation whatsoever to any of them.

“So why does he give a flying rat’s ass about the little ones?” Elec picked through the make-up case till he found just the right shades of gold and violet.

“No one’s sure, but a lot of us think King’s studying them.”

“Really? Why would he do that?”

“Because they aren’t from Earth, Elec. A Bass sent some of us up to the Wily Star. God knows why he suddenly wanted to fix up the damn thing, considering he was still on the slab after Blondie’s little rampage. Then the Stardroids attack and Bass, perfectly repaired, shows up out of fucking nowhere right in the middle of it with Terra and this big alien robo-cop in tow. Turns out he was there to tell the Stardroids they’d all gotten pardons or something like that.” Gemini’s expression darkened in anger. “Though if Terra hadn’t gotten Bass to demand our silence, Duet or whatever his name was wouldn’t have let that fucking slime-mold off the hook for what he did to poor little Star…”

“I know…” Checking to see that the gradient looked right, Elec put aside the lip brush. He forced himself to keep a neutral tone as he said, “And the robo-cop’s name is Duo. You really should’ve told him about Mercury raping Star. He deserves whatever justice Duo would’ve dished out to him.”

“I don’t know about that,” mused Gemini with a nasty smile. “I doubt this Duo could legally do what Blondie and Snake did to the slimy shit once he got to Earth.”

Still keeping his expression flat, Elec softly said, “I’m glad to see they can at least be decent some of the time. But we’re getting off track. You were telling me about Bass and his little ones?”

“Oh! Right… Well, once thing had settled down, Bass talked Duo into letting him bring back a load of alien devices. He immediately puts it all in the lab and locks himself in there for nine months. None of us knew what the hell he was doing. Bass even kicked Treble out of the lab, ‘for his own safety’.  When he comes back out, Bass has nine daughters and a son in tow with nothing more to say other than they’re all his. And that’s must be why King is playing daddy to the little monsters, so he can stay close to them and figure out what the hell they are. Because someone-no, _something_ had to have help Bass. He is just too fucking stupid to make ten robot masters all by himself!” Finishing off his cigarette, Gemini immediately lit up another. “So what are you going to do about it?”

            “Well, I guess it’s Bass’s choice to keep his weird space-babies.” He picked up a tube of eye primer and started dabbling it on with his ungloved hand. “Hopefully, he got Terra or Mercury or whoever got him knocked-up pay some child support. It’s gotta be expensive to raise ten kids all alone. Besides, Caddie seems to be a nice kid despite having a vicious bastard for a dad. I’m starting to like the little guy, at least enough to keep him around for a bit.”

            Gemini growled in frustration. “Goddammit, that is not what I meant!”

            “Well, I don’t see any harm in letting him stay for the show. He’s a very sweet and completely harmless little schoolboy.”

            “That isn’t a harmless little schoolboy, Elec! You haven’t seen the shit’s Cadenza’s done to people who scare him too much. He’s a fucking space monster! A space monster with one over-protective daddy who’d happily show us both our insides before killing us! You cannot be fucking serious?!”

            Elec sat down the liner brush with a sigh. “Yes, I am completely fucking serious.” Deftly picking up a shadow brush, he set to work finishing his eye. “We’re already fucked, so I figure we might as well let the poor kid have a little fun before Bass and Blues get into a brawl tonight.”

            “And why the hell would they both be here?”

            “Because Bass, for every horrible reason imaginable, decided that he’s taking Rock out tonight. And  Blues will be here tonight with the same damn idea,” said Elec as he checked his face in the mirror. “I think we both know what’s going to happen when they meet.”

            “How the fuck do you know that’s going to happen? It’s like you can see into the future!” rasped Gemini, then he frowned. “You’ve been talking to Crystal again, haven’t you? Dear fucking god, please don’t tell me you believe in that lunatic’s crazy nonsense about the future.”

            “Of course not.” Getting up, Elec tossed aside the headband and went to put on his costume. “I only trust the parts that Quint and my new friend have confirmed for me. Now, I want you to just relax, get ready to go onstage and let me take care of things.”

            Gemini grabbed his arm and jerked him around. “Take care of things? How? By just letting the shit hit the fan, I suppose?!”

            There was a long pause as it dawned on Gemini that Elec still hadn’t disengaged the galvanic claw. And now he was giving his bandmate a very evil smile.

            “Oh Gemsy! Gemsy, Gemsy…” Elec tutted, lightly tapping Gemini’s face with the sparking claw. “Why can’t you ever have just a little faith in me? I told you to relax. Will it make you feel better to tell you I already have a plan?”

            “You…eh, wouldn’t mind telling me what the plan is?”

            Digging the claws in just hard enough to hurt, Elec pulled him in closer. “To start with, I made sure Rock won’t be leaving the house tonight by grounding him for the stunt he pulled yesterday. He thinks I called dad and had him dole out that punishment, so it’s certain Rock won’t sneak out. He’s the ‘Good Son’ in our family.” Elec slipped his other arm around Gemini’s waist. “Then, with the help of a my new lovely assistant, I made sure that Blues is going to be busy chasing ‘Elec’ around San Francisco tonight.”

            “But you just said Blues was going to show up **_here_**! And what about the kid?” murmured Gemini as Elec disengaged the claw to gently stroke his cheek.

            “Well, we’re going to keep him around of course!” Elec kissed him with a smirk. “Little Caddie doesn’t seem like he’ll cause too much trouble. Maybe we’ll even take him along to Siren’s tonight.”

            “Are you completely barking mad?!”

            “Maybe! But how about we ask the kiddies?” Elec pulled away and went to the door, pulling it open so fast that both Gyro and Cadenza went crashing to the floor. “I really expected better of you boys. Especially you, Gyro.”

            “Sorry boss,” grumbled Gyro as he got up and dragged Cadenza to his feet. “Oil’s looking for you. He sounded kind of pissed off.”

            “Right. I’ll deal with him in a minute.” Elec turned to Cadenza with a million watt smile. “You want to stay for the show?”

            “Yes, sir,” answered Cadenza as he hid behind Gyro.

            “Good! And would you like to come with us to a party?”

            The kid’s eyes went wide as he grinned. “Oh wow! I’ve never been to a party before!”

            “There’s a first time for everything,” Elec purred as he playfully ruffled the kid’s hair, puffing it up with static.

            “No.” Gemini glared at him then turned to Cadenza. “You are going home right now you little brat!”

            “Calm down! What can it hurt, Gemsy?” Wrapping an arm around his bandmate, Elec cuddled him close and whispered, “Things are completely under control. Now lay off the kid.”

            “Under control my fucking ass!” snapped Gemini hysterically as he jerked out of Elec’s grasp. “Weren’t you paying attention?! Bass is going to kill us! No, I take that back… He won’t just kill us. He will make sure that all of us- me, you, Gyro and even Spark- suffer fates worse than death over this shit! Well, I sure as fuck am not going to sit here and make things worse!”

            Gemini pulled out a cell and started dialing when Elec snatched it out of his hand.

            “For the last time, I have everything under control.”

            “Give me that!” Gemini lunged for the phone, only to have Elec jerk it out of his reach.

            “Who the hell are you trying to call?”

            “Somebody who’s actually fucking useful. Now give it back!”

            “Not until you tell me who you were going to call.”

            “Flash! I was going to get him to come and take the brat back home.”

            Elec looked at him in disgusted horror. “Are you fucking me? You are going to leave that poor kid with the one-robot Amber Alert?! What are you going to do, sit out in the parking lot and wait for the windowless ‘Free Candy’ van to show up? Holy fuck!”

            “Maybe we should send Caddie home,” Gyro said, bracing himself. “Sure, Flash is a bit sleazy…and there’s a lot of evidence to back up his reputation. But even he wouldn’t be stupid enough to risk messing with one of Bass’ kiddies. Especially not little baby Caddie. Seriously boss, I’ve seen what happens when he catches people even **_joking_** with the little guy. It ain’t pretty…”

            “I am not going to let that filthy pervert near the kid,” snapped Elec. “And I told you both I have a plan…”

            “And just what were you planning, Elec?” sneered Gemini, his tone becoming suspicious. “Why are you suddenly so keen on having the brat around? Remind you of your kid brother?”

            “I’m not fucking playing. Don’t use my real name again,” Elec said coldly. “Now, I’m going take care of things. And I am not going to allow you to let Flash anywhere near that boy.”

            “I don’t give a damn! Now give me back my phone, _Elec_.”

            He stared at Gemini. “I won’t say it again: If we’re in public and I’m not in armor, it’s Speedwagon. Are we fucking clear?”

            Gemini laughed nastily. “Oh for fuck’s sake! Just because you don’t want Daddy to find out you were arrested at Daly City when that stupid federal monkey got her arm ripped off doesn’t mean-”

            Fist sparking with the impact, Elec floored Gemini with a sucker punch. He tried to follow through with more but Gyro held him back as Spark came charging in to protect Cadenza. “DON’T YOU EVER CALL ROSIE THAT!”

            “Yeah,” added Cadenza meekly from behind Spark. “Any way, humans are apes, not monkeys. See, they lack tails and…”

            “Hush sweetie.” Spark gently laid an electrode over his mouth. Calmly, he nudged Gyro aside and said, “Listen, how about a compromise? Dynamo and I have plans tonight when he gets done with whatever Gravity’s got him doing, so I’m going back once the gig is over. Why don’t I take Cadenza with me? He’ll get to watch the show and we can get back before King or Bass notices.”

            Elec took a few breaths before he answered. “Alright. When the concert’s over, you take Caddie home.” He turned to the kid, who was looking at him warily. “Caddie? I’m sorry you had to see this shit. It’s not your fault, okay?”

            “Yeah,” snickered Gyro. “Mummy and Daddy fight like this all the time.”

            “Excuse me?” Gemini glared at him as his clone helped him up. “I am not your Daddy!”

            Everyone in the room, including his own clone, gave Gemini a long, silent look.

            “It’s getting late, _Mummy_ ,” said Elec. “So get you shit together and get made-up. We’ve got to do a soundcheck at six.”

            “Oh no! That brat isn’t leaving my sight!” He drew himself up and tried to be intimidating. “I know you, El—Speedwagon. The minute my back’s turned, you’re going to talk Spark into letting you take the brat along to Siren’s to do god knows what with!”

            “Then have one of your clones stay with him.”

            Gemini let out a miserable groan as he whined back, “But I can’t! I need my clone onstage tonight. And you have no idea how exhausting it is to have four of me running around! Asking your brother to watch him.”

            “Yo, I’ve got work to do, genius!” snapped Oil as he walked in, glaring at all of them. “So ya’ can suck it up and let a clone babysit the little guy for a bit. I’ll even get Shift to help.” He turned to Elec. “And the Boss Lady wants to have a word with yer sorry ass about yer personal business.”

            “Personal business?” Elec raised an eyebrow, buttoned his vest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

            “Well, it’s sittin’ in one of the booths makin’ time with Mescal. Oh, and Midori is here too.”

            “I’m sure they can wait a minute while I—”

            “Mister Gears came with them.”

            “I’ll be right out.” Shrugging on his jacket, Elec gave Caddie another friendly pat on the head then walked out of the room. There was a slight crowd even this early in the evening but he easily picked out Dolly and Mister Gears entourage, along with Axl busily cuddling up to one of the vilest gangsters Elec had the misfortune to know. He did noticed that Axl at least looked ashamed of himself when he noticed Elec come over, but not enough to stop flirting with Mescal.

            “Ah, Speedwagon! How nice to see you again,” hummed Mister Gears, extending a hand.

            “Fuck you, Metal.” He flinched at the glare Dolly gave him. “Sorry, ma’am. I’m having a rough day.”

            “So I’ve heard,” Dolly said as her brilliant silver nails rapped on the table. “Metal dearest has kindly explained to me that there might be a bit of trouble tonight. Trouble involving you, apparently.”

            “Me? Why would I cause trouble?”

            Her nails stopped rapping. Dolly got up and over to Elec, drawing herself to her full four feet in heels. “You listen to me, Speedwagon: If any shit goes down tonight, take it out of my bar. Because if you break anything or cause my staff to get hurt…” A long, razor thin claw extended with a low shnik.

            “Dolly, my love! I wouldn’t dream of doing you or your business any harm!” Elec purred, leaning slightly back to avoid getting stabbed in the throat.

            “I am not joking. You cause any damages, Speedwagon, and I’ll… I’ll…” She paused, smiling as she drew her claw back in. “I’ll not only take it out of all your checks for tonight, but Cold Steel will officially owe me another gig. On the Fourth of July. And I’ll personally pick out the set list. I’m thinking something palatable for the tourists, happy feel-good tunes to dance to instead of that political shit you keep sneaking in. Or maybe a whole shows of just cover songs…”

            “WHAT?!” barked Elec. “Dammit, our contract says we’ve only got to play two more gigs for you and you already booked us for both St. Patrick’s and Memorial Day weekends!”

            “And it also says very clearly that if you cause damages, I’m allowed to consider you indebted to play a show without pay to cover the cost of repairs. Now, I want to be sure that if your older brother shows up to start a fight tonight, you are going to be gentlemen and take it well away from my bar. Do you understand?”

            Silently cursing Gemini for signing that contract without reading it first, Elec smiled politely and said, “Of course, ma’am. I will do my best to avoid causing any damages to your bar, your clients, and your staff.”

            Dolly gave him a cold glare. “That’s not ‘taking it outside’, Speedwagon.”

            “Well, ma’am, I will try not to have a fight here but I have no control over Blues’ actions. He might not be as considerate as I am, Dolly.”

            “Feh! That man knows better than to piss me off,” Dolly snapped then smiled. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have some paperwork to finish. If you boys need me, I will be in my office.”

            With that, Dolly turned and cut through the crowd like an angry china shark in a vintage dress. Once she had gone out of earshot, Elec glared down at Axl.

            “Aren’t you supposed to be in Berkley?”

            Before Axl could answer, Metal said softly, “M is covering the lecture for you. I needed to bring to boy here because I want him to verify the answers you’re going to give me. ”

            “And what if I don’t care for the questions?”

            Mescal grinned and, in a smooth motion, pressed a pistol against Axl’s side. Then his grin disappeared as they all looked down at the hand cannon Axl was pressing into Mescal’s groin.

            “Mine are bigger,” Axl purred with a wink. He hugged the blushing Mescal close and whispered something in his ear that made the other robot flash bright red.

            “Impressive… You know, I might have an opening in the near future and you look like a very good fit,” mused Metal as he glare pointedly at Mescal who was looking even more humiliated. “But getting back to the matter at hand… Oh, do sit down Speedwagon. You’re making me nervous.”

            “And you’re pissing me off,” grumbled Elec as he sat down next to Metal. “Now what the fuck do you want? I’ve got a lot of shit to do, so be quick.”

            “Blues is on a homicidal rampage. He’s already gotten Crash, Clown, Frost, Junk, Magnet and Turbo.  And it seems he’s probably already did in Bubble and Terra, too.” Metal spoke as calmly as if he was telling Elec his shopping list. “I can’t reach Quick and no-one knows where Flash has gotten to. I think they’ve also had a run in with Blues. Bass was might be still functional, but there was a bucketful of his fluids splattered all over the garage and the Veyron is missing. Looks like he’s either chased after the bastard or Blues hide the body somewhere then took the car. Personally, I’m hoping for the latter. I have Snake looking to see if he’s gotten to anyone else.”

            “And I should give a shit because…”

            Metal gave him a blank stare, anxiously twisting his mustache. “You better give a shit, because my boys just found the Veyron parked in the Safeway parking lot. I have Plato and Plomo checking it now, but so far they’ve found nothing but broken boomerang.”

            “And you really think he’s stupid enough to leave such a clear trail back to himself?” sneered Elec. “This is Blues we’re talking about. The little bastard’s still part of the Army Special Forces, faulty power core or not. If he was to snap and start killing you bastards off, he knows how to do it in a way that won’t be immediately noticed. Blues sure as hell wouldn’t make it so glaring obvious that he was involved.” He paused, then added sourly, “Besides, anything that isn’t a Jeep or a Ford is a piece of shit in his opinion so he wouldn’t bother stealing a Bugatti no matter how fast it goes. Though to be honest, he’s never much of a car guy. If Blues is coming here, he’ll probably show up on that damn motorcycle.”

            “Well, you seem awfully knowledgeable about the situation,” Metal said with a tight smile. “You’re not telling me everything, are you?”

            Elec simply shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve got a plan, okay? I’ll handle Blues and Bass. All you have to do tonight is have your minions do crowd control.”

            “Since you aren’t going to be helpful, maybe your friend with the big gun might…” He turned to see both Axl and Mescal had disappeared.

            “They’re probably in the backseat of my car comparing guns right now,” Elec muttered unhappily.

            Metal frowned with fatherly disapproval. “I never would have thought my boy would go for the mouthy type. Just hope that little bastard isn’t packing the same caliber his father has.”

            “I really didn’t need to know Bass has a big dick, Metal. Not right now or ever.”

            “Elec, sweetie? I never told you it was Bass.”

            Elec flinched, glaring at the patronizing smile spreading on Metal’s face. “Listen, I don’t know how much Axl told you—”

            “The boy didn’t tell me a damn thing. I got my information out of a creature called Spark Mandrill.” Before Elec could hide his shock, Metal raised a hand and continued. “Mandrill showed up two weeks ago, causing a huge ruckus on mainland Monsterpolis. King asked me deal with him. It was one hell of a job getting him under control, but Blondie showed up and took the damn monkey down in just one hit. You’d be amazed at the things my dear Plato and Plomo got out of him! Those Russian language packs really have paid off! There are futurists all over the world that would cream themselves to learn the knowledge locked in that mechanical monkey’s head. Shame he doesn’t have one any more…”

            “You killed him?”

            Metal looked outraged. “Certainly not! I was planning on keeping Mandrill around. He was as thick as shit but a very practical creature. He also could pump out more watts than you, Spark, and Dynamo combined. That kind of stupid muscle is useful in my line of work.”

            “Then what happened to the monkey?”

            “Mandrill somehow escaped and did a runner. By the time we found him, the damn idiot’s head had been smashed in. Whoever killed him also rigged the body with explosives, which went off after the Sniper Joes tried to collect his blackbox and destroyed anything useful.” Metal laughed suddenly. “You know, it’s weird… Before he made a break for it, Mandrill kept saying his boss would kill him for failing to off some kid named Icks or something. Stupid really… I’d have given the monkey at least one more chance.”

            “X?” said Elec, feeling as if his intake system just dropped out.

            “Yes! That was his name. Friend of yours?”

            “…no.”

            Metal sighed, fishing a pipe from his pocket and packing it. “Shame. Sounded just like your type: Friendly, helpful, modest and recklessly heroic. Mandrill even told me that he had the same boyish good looks dear little Rock has, only this X fellow has lovely green eyes.”

            Ignoring the meaningful look from Metal, Elec got out of the booth. “Look, I’d love to stay and chat with you all night but I’ve got to go do the soundcheck. So if you don’t mind…”

            Elec started to walk away but froze when Metal grabbed his sleeve. The smirking gangster pulled him in close, so close that Elec felt the wiry bristles of his beard rub his cheek as Metal spoke softly.

            “You listen carefully, you overcharged pouf: If anything goes wrong tonight, I will hold you personally accountable. And I would suggest that if you have anything to tell me, you’d better tell me now. I mean, I would hate for something to happen to any of your brothers or your dear old dad. Or, god forbid, something terrible befall sweet little Roll…”

            “I have nothing else to say to you, Metal,” Elec growled, grabbing his wrist and giving him a painful jolt before stepping back. “And never threaten my family again.”

            Sitting up with a grimace, Metal straightened his tie and lit his pipe. “As you know, I’m a firm believer in giving my employees the chance to redeem themselves. You’ve already failed me once, Elec. You need to realize there will be consequences if you fail me again.”

            “Really? You’re going to bring up that Tahoe shit again?”

            “You had one fucking job, Elec!” rasped Metal. “Keep my boss’ daughter from running off with Bonne’s idiot son. And what did you do? You not only break your fucking neck to make sure they get together, you and Oil even take them to Vegas to get married!”

            “And that marriage turned out to be very profitable for both Mister Bonne and Boss Tsukino. They’ve even got a grandbabies to dote on now. So why the hell do you keep acting like I royally fucked up?”

            Metal did not look amused. “Because you failed to do what I _paid_ you to do. And I do not appreciate wasting money on pisspoor work. Understand?”

            “And I do not appreciate you threatening to rape my baby sister. Understand?”

            “I never said anything of the sort!” huffed Metal, looking righteously offended.

            “Let’s just say I got the hint, Mister Gears…” Elec turned with a sharp snap of his heels and headed to the stage. He noticed that one of Gemini’s clone was watching Caddie and Shift happily babbling away at their table, causing him to smile in relief. At least that problem was solved, for the moment.

            “What did Metal have to say?” asked Gemini as he climbed up the backstage stairs.

            “Just some bullshit,” Elec said mildly, shouldering his guitar. “We good to start the check?”

            “Gyro just finished tuning his guitar and Spark is all set up.” Gemini gave him a wary look. “You sure everything’s fine with Metal? I…I really don’t want any trouble. Not tonight…”

            “It’s cool. In fact, things with me and Mister Gears are colder than cool, they’re ice cold,” snarled Elec as he started onstage. “Now let’s get ready to get this fucking show on the road.”

            Gemini started to say more, but the look Elec gave him caused him to just sigh in defeat and follow him onstage.

\--

_19:38:27 PM, February 14, 2014  
Navarro Ridge, Albion, CA 95437_

            Zero slumped against the porch railing, trying his best to calm down. The constant noise and people pressing in around had only been pissing him off even more, but Star was having such a good time that he couldn’t dare tell him how badly he wanted to just leave. It really didn’t help see that Star’s good mood was caused by that interloping shrubbery he was currently cuddling with out in the garden.

            Things had been going well until the garden. They’d spent the better part of the day wandering around Fortuna and then Fort Bragg. Zero couldn’t help but catch Star’s infectious glee at window shopping despite the way passing humans would stop and stare at him. Zero even caved in and let Star take videos of the two of them for his blog thing. He should’ve been suspicious when Star suddenly suggested they go visit the Botanical Garden.

Zero loved the strolling around and looking at all the various plants, but his good mood had soured when he noticed how distracted Star was. His friend barely paid attention to anything, not even the early blooming rhododendrons or lovely irises. Zero couldn’t shake the feeling that Star was looking for someone.

They’d went down to the seaside for their picnic. It was wonderful just to lay out in sun after they’d finished eating, listening to Star chatter about his plans for the next few days. In hindsight, Zero realized he should have paid closer attention to the way Star kept mentioning his desire to get back in touch with his old friends…

            And then Star said the words Zero had been dying to hear.

            “You know, mon loup,” he said in a quiet tone. “You all were right. I… I’m going to leave Gravity.”

            “Really?!” Zero barked, not even hiding his joy.

            “Oh yes, mon loup. I am leaving ‘im because I am sick of being dze other man in ‘is life.”

            “What do you mean?” asked Zero.

            “I mean dzat Gravity is in love with another,” Star muttered drily. “’e is married to ‘e’s job. Dzat is all ‘e cares about, all ‘e ever talks about, and at dze end of dze day it is all dzat Gravity truly loves. And I am done with it.”

            “So what are you going to do now?”

            Star smiled, humming as he thought a moment. “I dzink I’ll find myself a man. A _real_ man. I need someone who is capable of satisfying me. ‘e would ‘ave be a very ‘ands-on type, and must love traveling. In fact, I want a man willing  to explore and play a little instead of just toiling ‘is whole life away. ‘e needs to be a man with some romance in ‘is soul. Dzis ideal man ‘as to ave dreams and desires…and some decent manners too. No more dull, boorish louts for me! I deserve a man who will sweep me off my feet just because it was a Tuesday. And it certainly wouldn’t ‘urt if ‘e was tall, ‘andsome and strong…”

            “I can be all that,” stammered Zero. “Well, maybe not the handsome part…but I can do all the rest! I’ll be anything you want me to be, Star.”

            The silence was painful as Star just sat there staring at him. Then he burst out laughing.

            “Oh, mon cher Zero! Please forgive me…” Star giggled as he gently kissed Zero’s cheek. “Dzat is very sweet, but I just can’t accept your offer.”

            Zero felt himself deflate a bit. “Why not? Is…is there something wrong with me?”

            “Non, dzere not really anything wrong with you. It’s just dzat I need a **_man_** , not a boy.”

            “Boy?” His ears snapped flat as he growled, “I am not a boy!”

            Star gently patted his arm to calm him. “Yes you are, mon loup. You’re a very sweet, dzoughtful boy… But you are still dze simple boy. What I need is a man who’s not only sweet and dzoughtful but also mature and proficient in affairs of love.”

            “So you do not want me because I am younger than you?”

            “Eh, non….” With a sigh, Star said, “I didn’t wish to be so blunt, but I see dzat you still aren’t good with gentle ‘ints. After enduring Gravity’s pathetic abilities as a lover, I just ‘aven’t got the patience left to deal with the fumbling failures of a virgin on ‘is first night. What I need is a **_man’s man_** , Zero. A man who knows ‘ow to really please ‘is lover and can actually keep it up more than two minutes. You understand, don’t you?”

            “I…uh…” Zero stared down at his hands, noticing that he’d been clutching them into tight fists. He felt sick and angry, not at Star but with himself as how badly he failed to be a man fully hit him.

            “Excuse me?” said a polite voice from just over their heads.

            They both turned to stare at the interloper, a tall figure with a floppy hat and a baggy overcoat that did nothing to disguise a statuesque figure. Zero growled at them, unnerved by how easily they had just snuck up on him. The interloper was so quiet and Zero was ashamed to realize he hadn’t even noticed the overpowering stink coming off the guy. That musky stench of flowers over rotten meat hung in the air so pungently that he should’ve noticed it miles off! He was already feeling unmanned enough without having some random bastard catch him off guard too.

            “Sorry to intrude,” continued the interloper. “But the gardens are closing now. If you will please gather your things and…” He stopped, blue eyes widening in recognition. “Star…?”

            “Plant Man?” Star cooed, grinning in unrestrained delight. “Is dzat really you?”

            “Yes.” Reaching out, the interloper helped Star to his feet. “It’s been a long time since the tournament, hasn’t it?”

            “Yes it ‘as,” purred Star. “And you should be ashamed of yourself, little Plant! You’ve been in town since New Year’s yet you couldn’t call and let me know? If Wood ‘adn’t told me you were working ‘ere I might never ‘ave never realized you were back.”

            Plant slumped slightly. “Forgive, my dear Star. I… There’ve been a lot of changes in my life lately.”

            “I’ve noticed.” To Zero’s growing anger, Star openly ogled the interloper. “You… you’ve grown since dze last time I saw you. I remember you being such a tiny, precious boy. You were barely even up to my shoulder and now…”

            “He is an overgrown, malodorous weed,” snapped Zero as he finished packing the basket.

            There was an angry rattle like damp leaves on dead branches and Zero thought he saw vines twisting in the sleeves of the interloper’s coat.

            “And you must be the infamous Blondie,” Plant growled, moving toward him threateningly. “From what I’ve heard, you’re nothing more than a jumped up thug.” He paused as if listening to something, then added with a laugh, “And you aren’t even much of a man, either.”

            Zero started to lunge for him but Star stepped between them.

“Boys! I will not ‘ave you two fighting.”

            “My apologies, chuchu,” hummed Plant. “I never meant to upset you.”

            Growling at the interloper, Zero turned and started packing up their things.

            With a sigh, Star turned back to the interloper. “I am sorry, ma petite plante. Zero is bit overprotective sometimes.”

            “Only when I have a reason to be,” Zero sneered, glaring at the interloper.

             “I’ve noticed,” answered Plant as he pointedly ignored Zero. “Star, I truly do beg you to forgive me for not coming to see you. I just… I didn’t think you’d care for me anymore.”

            “Whatever made you dzink dzat?”

            “I’m not that cute little boy you knew anymore. Not after the…the change…”

            “Change, mon ami?”

            Plant sighed causing another strange rustling. “Perhaps I’ll tell you some other time. The gardens are closing for the day. You and your…your friend need to be leaving now.”

            They went up the trail in silence, with Star staying close to Plant’s side while Zero trailed behind them brooding.

            “Are you doing anything after work, Plant?” Star asked sweetly as they reached the front gate.

            “Well, I…uh...” Plant shifted nervously then said, “Actually, yes I am. Hornet and some to the rest of us are going down to Albion for a party. Would you like to go with me?”

            Zero frowned. “Actually, we—”

            “We’d love to, Plant.”

            “Wonderful!” Quickly, he reached into his sleeve and pulled a leaf out to scribble something down. “Here’s the address and…and my number if you get lost. There’s probably a crowd over at Siren’s already, so you won’t be sitting around bored. Star, I’ll be with you as soon as I’m done here.”

            “Then we shall see you there, little Plant.” Star leaned up to hug the interloper tight and softly kissed both of his cheeks.

            Zero ground his teeth so hard he thought his jaw was going to snap.

            When they broke apart, Star turned a happy smile to Zero. “Let’s go, mon loup.”

            With that they had left, leaving Plant just standing there in what Zero swore was tangible cloud of smugness. He’d done his best to stay civil, keeping his answers to Star polite and cheerful on the ride over to the party. He even donated the remaining food in the picnic basket to Siren’s snack table to show Star his willingness to try and enjoy himself.

 After finding a quiet corner to hide in, Zero had left Star in the safety of Jewel and a very nervous Toppy. He slowly found a small amount of pleasure in watching the party-goers milling around. And Zero was even able to tolerate the occasional attempts by strangers to flirt without snapping death threats. But he still kept thinking back to what Star said, that he not a man but just a simple boy. Just a virgin.

The shame stirred that vile thing inside him, churning and festering it into a black boil of wrath. The aching, unyielding rage grew worse when Plant arrived and immediately swept Star away. Feeling ready to burst, Zero went after them only to be stopped by Jewel.

“Sweetheart,” Jewel said in the nasally whine of his. “They haven’t seen each in years. Plant and Star have a lot of catching up to do. Let ‘em have their privacy, Blondie.”

And now here he stood, a warm bottle of crap beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other as he watched his lovely Star being seduced by an over-glorified pansy.

“Fuck.” Setting aside the beer, Zero weaved through the crowd and back into the house. He started for the door fully determined just to take a ride around to clear his head and come back for Star once he’d finished ‘catching up’ with his precious little weed. And then Zero’s phone rang.

“Hello?” he asked, ducking into the bathroom and locking the door behind him.

“Blondie, sweetie darling!” cooed the infuriating whine of Gemini. “How are you doing?”

“Evening, DWN:019,” Zero hissed back. “How did you get my number?”

“That’s not important! I am in dire need of a responsible, discreet man right now.” Gemini paused then added, “And you’re at least two of those things.”

            “I am hanging up.”

            “DON’T HANG UP! Your idiot nephew is sitting here getting shitfaced!”

            Zero blinked. “What?”

            “Cadenza snuck out and now I’m stuck babysitting him because Elec told me too.”

            “What does Elec have to do with this? Explain or I will fucking gut you.”

            “The brat snuck into the van while Gyro and Spark were putting in our gear. Spark been talking to him earlier about the concert, then the idiot forgot Cadenza was lurking around and has a nasty habit of just sneaking off.”

            “And what about Elec?”

            “Oh, I shouldn’t say what he’s plotting! It’s all too shocking,” gasped Gemini.

            “Tell me right now you pretentious trash.”

            “Very well…”Sighing, Gemini said, “He wants to keep the little fellow around to ‘play’ with him a bit. Oh, you should have heard the things he’s planning to do to this poor little child once we finish our gig. It’s absolutely appealing. And then there’s what Metal’s plotting...”

            That black throbbing ache was clouding his mind as Zero asked, “Where are you?”

            “Dollies’. You do know where it is, don’t you?”

            “Near the ice-cream place? Yes, I know where to go.” He slumped against the sink, gripping so tightly that the corner snapped off in his hand. “I will be there as soon as I can.”

            “Oh! How can I ever repay you, you wonderful boy you!” cooed Gemini happily. “Maybe I should take you out one evening and make a real man of you?”

            “Go fuck yourself.” Zero disconnected the call and bolted out of the bathroom. He was almost out the door when Jewel blocked his way.

            “Zero, we’ve got a big damn problem. Your n—”

            “I already know,” he snapped as he pushed Jewel aside. “Gemini just called to let me know that Sleazewagon is trying to get his nasty claws on Caddie. Tell Star I had to go deal with a family thing, but I will be back for him once I take care of it.”

            “Wait! Zero, this is about the girls—”

            But Zero had already mounted his bike and whipped out of the driveway. He sped down the road, oblivious to even the nearby wail of sirens. Nothing matter but rescuing his nephew and burn out the pulsating cancer of rage from his mind. He swerved and raced through the residential streets until he entered the woods, barely registering the dull orange glow of firelight.

            With no warning, a gigantic fiery thing lumbered out into the road causing Zero to nearly wipe out. He managed to right himself in time, but not before snapping off a mirror. When he’d finally stopped, Zero took a good look at the beast.

            It was massive robot shaped like skeletal antelope. And it was also wreathed in a halo of flames. The metal beast turned to face him, lowering its head menacingly as molten fuel dripped from its muzzle. Then Zero looked up and saw the hulking form of a dog-like humanoid standing on its back.

            “…it hurts…” rasped the dog monster, face twisting into a mad rictus. It grasped the sides of its head, voice rising as it chanted,  “It burns and hurts. It hurts. It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS!!!!!”

            “What the fuck…?”

            The dog monster stopped abruptly and turned it’s crazed stare on Zero. “ ** _You…_** You’re the one who caused this… the abomination that bore the plague…”

            Zero stared at it, the darkness wailing in his mind. “Who the hell are you?”

            The dog monster became unexpectedly serene and lucid. “Know that my name is Flame Hyneard. Know that he has sent me forth to cleanse this place. Cleanse it with the purity of righteous fire. Know that I shall kill the disease, burn the cancer out before it spreads. Know that tonight does the plague end before it can take hold. So has it been decreed and so shall it be done.”

            Dismounting, Zero shifted to his armor and engaged his arm cannon. “I do not know what the hell you are on about, but if you want a fight…”

            “Do you not know yourself? You are plague… you are… you are… **_pain_**...” The dog monster wailed in agony then started giggling insanely. “He said you brought the sickness… He told me once you died, the hurting would stop… He decreed you must die! Die so those who will come after shall be saved! He said kill you… Tear you… Rip you… Crush you… Burn you… _Burn it all…_ **_BURN IT ALL TO THE GROUND!_** ”

            The flaming antelope charged forward as its master shrieked in madness. From its back burst forth a barrage of missiles. Zero barely had time to dodge through the ballistic mayhem as he ran towards the monster. He quickly leapt up and grab the beast’s head as it attempted to gore him with its horns. They went bounding and swinging into the woods, the beast doing its best to fling Zero off as he started climbing up its skull. He finally managed to ascend to its neck, then ran across the twisting vertebrates towards cackling the dog monster.

            It easily evaded his charge, skipping around the back of the bucking antelope as if it was on a playground.

“BACKUP!” In brief flash of flame, two more dog monsters appeared and rushed Zero.

“You must **_die_**!” it shrieked, twisting to avoid another attack. “I will tear you to pieces and then the **_pain_** will stop! The pain will never even **_be_**!”

            Zero only managed a snarl before rushing the dog monster again, this time managing to land a solid blow to its midsection. Then in a flurry of blows, he destroyed the two clones with a pair of drills.

            “BURN!” the dog monster screamed, not noticing the blinking bomb drilling into its belly as it raked a fiery hand across Zero’s back. The bomb exploded, only to cause the dog monster to giggle like a young girl. Then it let out a tortured screech and howled, “ARISE!”

            The flames burst forth again, resurrecting the clones who again charged for Zero in a zealous frenzy.

            Wordlessly, Zero dodge their attacks as he shot off more Crash Bombs, just barely missing the dog monsters as they continued hurling fire at him. He danced around the back of the antelope, blocking and deploying bombs until he’d finally exhausted all his ammo in that slot. Zero drew back as if retreating, hoping the dog monster was stupid enough to fall for the feint.

            “YOU TWO! KILL HIM NOW! BURN TO THE GROUND!” roared the dog monster as it and it’s clones encircled him in a ring of laughing flames.

            Zero smiled, his armor flashing to a soft blue as he activated the Water Shield. He idly batted a few droplets towards each clone, causing the disintegrate in smoke and ashes. Then, right on cue, the bombs exploded across the antelope’s back, causing it stumble wildly before crashing to the ground. Zero lazily jumped clear as the antelope rolled onto its side, dragging the dog monster wailing underneath.

            He waited a few minutes, just to be sure that the dog monster was down for good. Then he checked his shoulder, noting with a bit of alarm that it had managed to claw clean through the ceratanium plating and tear a nasty wound over his back. Zero growled, feeling even angrier than before. He’d thought the battle would calm it, but that filthy black rage continued swelling inside him. If he didn’t find some kind of release soon, Zero feared what he might do...

            Then there came a bloodcurdling howl.

            “GODLESS MONSTER!” wailed the dog monster, dragging itself out the flaming ruins of the antelope beast. As it came lurching towards Zero, the dog monster began chanting desperately, “Know that I am Flame Hyneard! Know that I was born of fire in the year of our Lord 2298. Know that I was baptized in the Scared Flame of the Our Holy Mother in the year of our Lord 2303. Know that I do God’s holy work… That I am an instrument of His will. Know that it is in His divine plan I came unto this heathen land to save it from the Devil’s own. Know that he swore to me by God that your death shall end my pain. Know that he who brought me to is called… that he is called… urk… ** _it hurts_** …”

            The dog monster collapsed to its knees, sobbing and clawing at its face.

            “Who?” snapped Zero, deploying a water blob and moving toward it. “Who sent you? Tell me their name!”

            “Heed my words, unholy one! You must die. You must **_die_** , that the ones who will come shall **_live_**!”

            “TELL ME THEIR FUCKING NAME!”

            The dog monster looked up at him with a distant smile. “He is here amongst you even now. He is the first of his kind and he will be the last of his kind. Know that he is –”

            A  supersonic crack rent the night as the dog monster’s head exploded in a mess of shrapnel and gory fluids. Zero looked around in vain for the shooter, shifting from the Water Shield to Metal Blades. Then there was a second shot, blasting through the dead robot’s chest.  A third and a fourth blast came toward Zero, but he managed to dive out of the way.

            He noticed with some confusion that the last shot had come from nearly the exact opposite direction. Zero looked to the antelope wreckage and caught sight of a tall figure in gray and red armor. The figure re-aimed the cannon on his shoulder and fired again, causing Zero to sprint for cover again.

            “So you’re involved in this,” Blues sneered from behind the faceplate. He leveled the cannon at Zero, glaring one red eye at him. “As per my orders, I am required to give you the opportunity to turn yourself in. Will you come along quietly?”

            Zero just smiled and hurled a blade at him, causing Blues to duck long enough for Zero to catch him off guard with a haymaker. He reeled under the retaliatory  punch to the ribs, which included roughly 5 inches of serrated blade. Snarling, Zero headbutted Blues and slammed his knee as hard as he could into his groin. That caused them to break apart, giving Zero the chance to retreat further into the forest.

            He found a relatively safe hiding spot and checked the damage. The knife had gotten snapped off in the wound, which despite being extremely painful also kept circuits connected and fluids inside. Carefully, he got a small repair kit out of his hip compartment and slapped temporary patches on his wounds.

            On the breeze, he could smell burning conifers and the scent of the Prototype approaching from the wreckage. Then Zero caught whiff another scent, identical to the Protoype’s coming quickly toward his hiding place. Zero ducked down and watched to his amazement as the Prototype strolled right out into the open. A moment later, another Prototype appeared and froze in surprise at the sight of his copy.

            “What the hell?” gasped Blues.

            The other Prototype just laughed and lunged for Blues. They struggled desperately, blasting away at each other before locking into a vicious wrestling match.

            Zero watched for a moment, then quietly slipped away while they were distracted. He ran back towards the road, taking care to avoid the notice of police and soldiers swarming around trying to control the disaster. To his annoyance, they had seized his motorcycle and Zero watched helplessly as the police loaded it into a truck. He looked around then suddenly caught sight of a young officer standing by an idling patrol car. Seizing his chance, Zero darted forward and put the officer out with a fast punch to the gut. He hopping into the car and immediately sped off before anyone could react.

            He managed to avoid a chase since most of local law enforcement was occupied with getting the dog monster’s rampage under control. Zero ditched the patrol car near the harbor, shifted back into his civilian clothes as he started walking. He broke into a jog when he crossed the bridge, trying hard to look like just any other jogger despite the fact he was in riding leathers. It was when he reached the motel that he was sideswiped into the roadside scrub by Quick Man.

            “You fucking cunt!” Quick snapped as he began throttling Zero. “You bastard! How dare you?! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU?!”

            Tasting the cold bile of fury, Zero shifted back into his armor and gutted Quick with a handful of Metal Blades. He angrily threw the mutilated robot aside and ran straight for Dollies’.

            Barely a block from the bar, Zero caught scent of the Prototype. He turned and saw the Prototype riding up the street, then noticed there was something…off about him. His helmet was the Breakman style one Zero had just seen him in but more like one of the Sniper Joes’.

            Zero ran even faster and, much to his surprise, saw that the bouncer at the door had be knocked out. He staggered into Dollies’ and scanned the crowd, then he saw a sight that made him cringe.

            “Oh fuck my life…”

            Out on the dancefloor, in the middle of a spotlight, was his nephew happily being twirled around by a grinning Rock. And he saw Elec singing onstage, smirking as he watched them. Then he caught scent of the real Prototype, who was staggering in through a backdoor.

            Growling, Zero cut through the press of people and causing them to draw back in awestruck fear. He even managed to clear the whole dancefloor with just a glare. But Rock and Cadenza kept on dancing, despite the band having stopped once Elec saw him.

            Zero cleared his throat, catching Cadenza’s attention. “Good evening. I am glad to see that you are all right.”

            “It’s nice to see you too, I guess,” said Rock as he moved to protect Cadenza.

             Zero winced as he noticed Rock looking him over. “I was talking to Cadenza, but I admit that I am both very pleased to see you again and also very unhappy.”

“Why?”

“This boy should not be here, not even in your company,” Zero said in the calmest tone he could manage. “Cadenza is not allowed outside the base without an escort, as per orders. He snuck out and hid in the back of an utility van while DWN:023 and DWN:036 were loading up their instruments. Neither was aware that they had a passenger until they arrived here and unpacked. DWN:019 informed me of the situation and I got here as quickly as possible to retrieve the boy.” Zero sighed wearily, glancing back and forth from the Prototype to Elec. He silently prayed they hadn’t seen each other yet. “Listen, I am almost certain no one else but Whispa knows your gone yet, so if we leave right now there should not be any more problems.”

“But I… I don’t want to go,” whimpered Cadenza as he clung to Rock for assurance. “Mister Rock invited me out and we were going to go watch some movies later.”

“That is very kind of you, Rock, but I cannot allow that tonight. Perhaps another time.” He reached out to take his nephew’s hand only to have Rock grab his wrist.

“Excuse me,” Rock growled, wrapping his arms protectively around the little robot. “If Caddie wants to stay then he’s staying.”

Zero snarled, recognizing the warning signs. Then he looked up and saw that Elec had finally noticed the Prototype. In an urgent tone, he said, “Rock, please try to understand I am not doing this to be cruel. I have orders to keep Cadenza safe. I am supposed to be protecting him.”

“Well, if that’s the case, then consider yourself invited too,” said Rock calmly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zero saw Elec jump down from the stage and began heading towards them.

 “Just the three of us,” Rock continued, blissfully unaware. “Sitting around eating popcorn and enjoying really terrible movies”

Zero watched Gemini and his three clones jump on Elec in a hopeless attempt to stop him.

“And I know how much you like cheesy action flicks.”

“But…I… Look, we really have to leave. As in, right now.” Zero glanced back at the Prototype, then saw that the other one had finally appeared as well. He looked back to the stage, slightly amused by the fact that now the little bartender and Spark also joined the effort to hold Elec back. In the rafters, he noticed Gyro was creeping along like he planning something.

“What’s wrong?” Rock asked, then he saw Elec.

Elec managed to pull free an arm sheathed in a voltaic gauntlet and aim it toward a point slightly behind Zero.

He caught sight of one Prototype moving in for the kill. In desperation, Zero dialed in the coordinates for the arcology and snatched up both Rock and his nephew.

            “THUNDER BE—.”

            They shunted, the ghost flash of lightning burning Zero’s eyes for a moment. They barely landed when Cadenza bolted to the railing and starting being sick. Zero groaned, helping a woozy Rock to sit down.

            “You could have told me you both were drunk before we teleported,” grumbled Zero as he helped Rock sit down on a crate.

“I’m fine,” he growled. “Caddie’s the one that needs help.”

They both looked back at the little robot, who was leaning on the railing and trying his best not to resume vomiting.

“He will live. But you are both going to have some hellish hangovers in the morning.”

“I’m not drunk!” slurred Rock. “I’ve only been drinking tea.”

“It was 100th Bolt Tea, correct?”

 “Yeah. I was just drinking really fancy tea.”

            Zero sighed, doing a quick search for the recipe. “Rock, 100th Bolt Tea is a variant of the classic Long Island Iced Tea, a very potent cocktail. The recipe is cola, sweet and sour mix…and 2 ounces each of the following: Bacardi 151, Seagram’s 102, Absolut 100, Grand Marnier. The alcohol content of which is 11.25 fluid ounces per glass. By the way, forgive my curiosity but how many did you have?”

“Uh…about 7 or 8…” Rock muttered in shame. “I didn’t know they had alcohol in them. Oil said he wasn’t going to let me have anything stronger than soda or normal oil.”

“Of course!” sneered Zero, laughing in anger. “By the way, let me congratulate you. It has been my experience that most robots are incapable of coherent function after imbibing a mere 20 or so ounces of ethanol. You seem to have managed an impressive total of 90 ounces and yet hardly appear drunk at all,” Zero turned to Caddie, who was still slumped over the railing. “And what did you have?”

“Just wine, uncle…” came the feeble reply.

“Just wine,” Zero sneered back. “And how many did you have, Cadenza?”

Caddie let out a miserable gurgle. “I only had four…”

“Four glasses?”

“Uh…no, Uncle Zero. Four bottles.”

Zero stared at him, a thin and angry smile on his face.

 “Four bottles? Is that all?” Inhaling deeply, Zero tried not to put his fist through the wall. “Wonderful. You not only did you run off without telling anyone other than your twin, but where do I find you? At a sleazy dive bar, drunk off your ass and dancing with strange men! My standing orders were so simple: Just keep an eye on my niblings and make sure you all did not leave the arcology unsupervised. It was supposed to be so easy, yet now I find I am babysitting a pair of drunks on top of everything else I have had to deal with tonight.”

His frowned deepened as the fury took hold and he snarled, “I have never been so disappointed in anyone as I am in both you and Rock right now. Especially you, my dear nephew. Everyone that knows about the ten of you said you were the least troublesome of you siblings. They told me you were the best behaved little robot they had meet, always so well-mannered, always so considerate. Well, you really have outdone yourself tonight.”

“You leave him alone,” Rock growled as leapt to Cadenza’s defense. “Don’t you dare take it out on Caddie. If you’re looking to blame someone, than blame me.”

“I expected better from you,” Zero snapped back, then his tone went frigid. “But the past cannot be changed. All I can do is damage control, and hopefully keep both King and my brother from discovering their son snuck out…again.”

“But Uncle Zero,” sobbed Caddie. “Last time I just went to the mainland base to give Mister Star his books back. Mister Terra said it was okay and he even went along as my chaperone, too!”

            Zero watched Rock’s eyes widen in horror. “Terra? You’re telling me that he’s alive?!”

“He will not be for much longer if I have anything to say about it…” hissed Zero, already planning to take out the festering rage on the green-haired alien. He started heading for the lower quarters as the pair of them followed in his wake. “Cadenza, your fathers both expressly forbid you and your sisters from leaving this place without their permission. That green-haired piece of garbage has no authority to grant you leave, no matter who’s cock he happens to be sucking.” When he saw the shocked look on Rock’s face, he added in a dry tone, “No. King is not fucking the bastard. That would be Sunstar’s duty.”

“Sunstar’s alive too?” Laughing in a rather hysterical way, Rock help Caddie stagger along as they followed in the blond’s wake . “Let me guess: all the rest of the Staroids are back too. On Earth. Fully armed. And probably really pissed off…”

“Terra is the only one that has a grudge against you,” Zero answered mildly. He never forgot about that little detail… “You do not need to worry about it because I will make sure he can never harm you again. I promised to protect you, and I keep my promises. And not all of the pests remained here. Jupiter and Mars both have been summoned back to their respective kingdoms to resume their royal obligations. Venus will be joining Mars as soon as her repairs have been completed. ”

“That still leaves Uranus, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto, and Mercury.”

“Uranus and Saturn are more concerned about arguing with Duo over the details of their parole to be a threat,” grumbled Zero as he helped them into an elevator. “Meanwhile, Neptune has taken it upon himself to find spouses for his ridiculously vast horde of children. He even considers me an excellent candidate for fiancé.”

“Well, why not?” Rock hummed, leaning against the rail separating them from the elevator’s glass walls. “You’re beautiful and you are a very kind person…when you want to be.”

“He’s right, uncle,” piped in Caddie as he rested his head on Rock’s shoulder. “You are a really nice guy. Why do you have to act so nasty all the time?”

Zero turned away from them and hit a number on the keypad, causing them to descend. It hurt watching the way Rock lavished attention on his nephew. Maybe Star’s rejection had left him in no mood for affection, but that didn’t fully explain why he was so jealous…  

“It’s really neat, isn’t it Mister Rock?” cooed Caddie. “Utopia is going to be a really wonderful place to live when they’re finished. It’ll be an ideal city.”

“Utopia?” mused Rock. “That’s a pretty good name.”

“It is no place,” Zero said in a quiet voice as he looked straight ahead at the elevator doors. When he realized Rock didn’t get it, Zero laughed bitterly. “The word ‘utopia’ means ‘no place’ in Greek. A good place where there is no poverty and no strife because the rulers are wise dictators. They will need few laws as everyone will know their place. Everything neat and tidy, with nothing out of order because that would be forgetting your place. Such a wondrous place where all are so fulfilled there will be no place for lawyers, artists,...and no place for the free since that would be forgetting your place. They will rarely send out good citizens to fight. Instead, they shall hire mercenaries to fight their wars, weeding out the warlike and creating peace by putting all others in their place.  And if anyone disagrees… Well, they have ways of dealing with their problematic children. By hook or by crook, there shall be Utopia. Now isn’t no place such a good place?”

“That’s not what Papa means,” Cadenza began before wilting into silence under his uncle’s glare.

“I have spoken my piece to King, Cadenza. I do not want to discuss this matter with you.”

Rock glared  at him. “There’s no need to be like this, Zero. And there’s nothing wrong with being hopeful about the future.”

“Hope is only for those that have a place in the future,” replied Zero softly.

“But…but you have a place, Uncle Zero.” Cadenza smiled up at him fondly. “Dad said you’d always have a place here with us.”

Zero didn’t answer. He couldn’t bear to tell his little nephew that the only place Zero would ever have according to both Bass and King was in the Box.

 The door opened and he simply walked out into the hallway, leaving Rock and Cadenza again trailing in his wake. He lead them into a large dormitory and down a smaller hallway lined with doors. At the very last door marked ‘BKN:010’, Zero stopped.

“This is Cadenza’s room,” he said quietly as he opened the door, then started leave. “I will give you both a moment to say your goodbyes.”

Rock gave him an odd little smile. “Uh, thanks…”

Snapping his heels, Zero turned and went back down the hall. He was nearly away when Bass cornered him.

“Blondie…” he snarled, idly twirling Quint’s helmet on a finger. “Where the fuck have you been?”

“I went out,” answered Zero. “On a picnic. With Star.”

“Oh, so it’s Star now?” Bass rasped. “What happened to DWN:037?”

“He is my…my friend, brother.”

Bass raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. “Whatever. I just hope the little space princess doesn’t have allergies, because when I went up there looking for your ass he was getting awfully cozy with Plant Man.”

Forcing himself to keep a straight face, Zero said, “That is very interesting. I thought they were still at Miss Siren’s party.”

“Cops showed up…” answered Bass. “King managed to dig Terra out of whatever hole he’s been hiding in and sent him to bail out Jewel and little Honey… along with Volante, Dolce, Sinistra , and Sordina. You know, my little baby girls? The ones I told you to protect at all costs?”

“I left the party to go get Cadenza.”

Bass stared at him, expression blank. “And why was that?”

“Because he snuck off to Dollies’ to see the band playing,” Zero said. “And Elec seems to have decided to play matchmaker because he got Cadenza and his brother Rock drunk enough to do something very stupid. Oh, and did I mention I left Rock alone with Cadenza at his room?”

Going quiet with fury, Bass said, “I will deal with you tomorrow.”  

He pushed Zero aside and stormed down the hall, leaving his brother standing alone. After a few moments, Zero left the dormitories and teleported back to the Sinkyone base. He briefly thought about going to Star and confronting him, but Zero felt suddenly too tired to care. Side still stinging, he made his way to his quarters and collapsed on the couch. He’d worry about repairs and cleaning up in the morning…         


	6. Jagged Pill

_February ??, 2014 ??:??:??  
Some off the coast of an unknown Pacific Island_

            Rock followed Bass down several hallways and up a few flights of stairs till they reached a nondescript office door. He paused when Bass held it open for him, suspecting that it was a trap but Rock shook the paranoia off and went inside. Rock was a bit surprised to find himself standing in a perfectly normal (if a bit shabby) office. There was only two things out of place: 1) a broken-in cot shoved behind the desk and 2) a swarm of flat black orbs hovering around the room.

            “Uh, Bass…” To his horror, Rock watched as the orbs each opened a red stylized eye to stare at him.

            “What? Oh! Right…the eyes… Should’ve warned you about those.” Bass gestured for him to sit down as he step behind the desk. He slumped into his chair, tossing the green helmet aside as he flatly said, “Let us just go ahead and get this out of the way first: I’m not exactly the Bass you knew. It all happened after I tried to kill my brother and failed…miserably. So guess who spent his time a mangled torso digging around the old geezer’s files for a way to kill the monster.” Bass smiled, baring all his fangs guiltily. “ I did finally find his weakness… along with something even more interesting that had been festering deep in the hard drives. Turns out to be kind of a bad idea to recycle a genocidal alien into the computer running **_everything_** in your base…”

            Rock stared at him, feeling as if the whole world had dropped out from under him. “Ra Moon? …it’s alive.”

            “Yes I am alive, thank you very fucking much!” snapped Bass, his eyes going black and red like the orbs. “And don’t call me an ‘it’ again.”

            “What have you done…?” Rock asked in a shaking voice. Then he dived across the desk and grabbed Bass by his chestplate. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, YOU BASTARD?!”

            “I had a near-death experience which ended in me merging with the remaining bits of Ra Moon,” said Bass with a tone that reminded Rock uncomfortably of his dad when he got annoyed. It was even worse when he patted Rock on the head. “And don’t worry, I’m not going to try killing all life on Earth. I…well, the Ra Moon part realizes it’s too much of a logistical nightmare. Besides, I happen to _like_ humans. Now will you calm down?”

            “You merged with Ra Moon and think I’m going to be calm about it?!” Letting go, Rock took a step back and shifted into his armor.  He leveled his gun, noticing that it was really difficult to aim straight ahead even at this close a range. “I am not a violent person but—”

            “But you still have some really bad memories about the last time I was around, right?” asked Bass, then his expression softened with concern, making Rock even more awkwardly aware of just how…well, _fatherly_ Bass was being. “You know, you might want to see someone about that. You might have PSTD…”

            “Ra Moon is a monster. What it did was unforgivable…”

            Bass sighed and slumped even further into his chair. “Really? Calling me an ‘it’ again? You go out of your fucking way to redeem my horrific, plague-bearing, monstrous idiot of a little brother, yet me? I get no fucking mercy?...knew I should’ve stayed a virus…”

            “You leave Zero out of this!”

            “You’ve only known the big blond jackass a day, Rock!” Bass roared, then his voice went from anger to just being exhausted and sad. “Literally one fucking day. Do you even know that Zero isn’t his name?”

            Rock glared at him, speaking in a calm yet angry voice. “So what’s his real name, oh mighty Ra Bass?”

            “Why not just ask my brother yourself? You won’t believe a damn thing I say now…”

            “Really?” huffed Rock, smiling bitterly as he shifted out of his armor. “You know, I almost feel bad for Ra Moon. It has to live the rest of its life with you, Bass. The biggest, most unhelpful jerk in the universe. And I really feel sorry for those poor kids getting stuck with you for a dad.”

            In the brief silence it seemed like everything had frozen, as if any warmth in the room had been sucked out by a sudden arctic wind.

            “You just had to bring up my little ones, didn’t you?” said Bass in a dead tone. “Before you even fucking say it, no. They are not my little personal army, they are not weapons, and they sure as fuck are nottools to be replaced once they’ve done their job or they fail. I am not **_my father_** , Rock.”

            “Then why do you keep Caddie and his sisters locked up here?”

            “I don’t.” Bass sighed, then said, “I don’t like them going out alone because the world in general isn’t ready for the likes them. As it stands, my son, his twin, and three of their sisters go to school in Abashiri. My oldest daughters work either here or they help out at the California base. And they’re all allowed to visit mainland Japan if they please because the locals and the government are very tolerant towards robots. My single request is that they have a chaperone with them for safety.”

            “Japan?” Rock grinned drily. “So Wiley built this base near Hokkaido, right?”

            “Yes, the old geezer built the factory on an island very close to northern Hokkaido. Then we took over the Kurii Islands in 2012 without the old fart being involved. The Japanese left us alone since they still remember when Wiley sent the Mad Grinder through downtown Tokyo. And they also liked the we’ve been very generous about allowing them to fish and work here. As for the Russians…,” Bass laughed evilly. “All they needed to convince them that we were here to stay was a little laser light show. Shouldn’t have sent that chauvinistic bastard to talk… In short, this chain of islands is now officially the Republic of Monsterpolis, the first internationally recognized robot nation. Or just Monsterpolis.”

            “With you as dictator for life, huh? All hail Lord Bass! King of All! The Great and Powerful Tyrant.”

            “No. I’d fucking kill them all if I had to run this shit alone. My titles officially Chief Co-Executive. King’s the other chief co-executive, and there’s a parliament covering the rest. I’m just here to sign papers, be scary and make sure things like the economy don’t tank.”

            “So you bullied your way into running a country?”

            “Rock, if you even glance at a history book, that’s exactly how most countries came to be. Politics are all about being the biggest, most successful bully in the room. You always are pointing out that I’m the bad guy so I thought I might try putting that to good use,” Bass grumbled no longer bothering to hide the hurt in his tone. “And why is it that I’m the only one you seem to call the bad guy? You treat King with all the sympathy in the world and hurl the blame for _everything_ on me. But I never wanted any this, Rock. It was all King’s doing. The minute he realized Dr. Wiley wasn’t coming back, King decided it was time to take over. Oh, he started small with promises that **_we_** (And by we, I mean **_me_** ) would provide better quarters for the other robots and improve the standards of living. I even believed him, right up till he talked me into rebuilding the Wiley Star. I should have realized then what he was planning but…well, I’m big enough to admit that I am not a smart man. And then he had me start improving all the Sniper Joes, giving them full awareness. We now even have some that could be consider Robot Masters themselves…”

            “Well, that is very…uh, nice for them,” said Rock, trying to keep his tone civil. “Good to see those poor guys are finally getting treated with respect!”

 Bass only laughed, filling the room with a hollow noise. “King next had me arrange expansions on the manufacturing and power station zones. Then some jackass from the Forestry Department came in and decided to evict us all for squatting on government property. It was kind of funny when he realized he was talking to a literal army of war machines. That’s when King finally stopped beating around the bush and declared that **_we_** were living within of the nation of Monsterpolis and promptly kicked him out of the fort. And guess who had to deal with the Feds who came by to ask all the awkward fucking questions?”

“He’s still alive, right?” Rock asked nervously. “I mean, you didn’t hurt the poor Forestry guy…”

“Aside for a pair of pants, the jackass left unharmed and utterly terrified.” He sighed, flopping back into his chair. “And before you say it, yes the two FBI agents that came up are also okay. Stern and Kratz were very understanding about things… unlike the fatass diplomat and the other political big shits. They were there to tell us that the US had decided to recognize Monsterpolis as a sovereign micro-nation. The big boys treated it all like a fucking joke… Everybody had a good laugh. But the laughing stopped when King decided to take over this dump too. He got the morons all riled up to support him in taking over the islands. Even used the newly improved Sniper Joes… And it was King who literally dragged me into all this bullshit when the Russians showed up. That is exactly how it happened, Rock. That’s how King kept manipulating things till I ended up stuck being a…how you’d put it? A tyrant.”

Rock glared at him. After a long pause, he said coldly, “That’s a very interesting story, Bass. It’s even almost convincing.”

“Why do I even bother…” Bass pulled a glass and a bottle out of a drawer. He poured himself a shot as he continue, “You’re being completely unfair to me, Rock. You aren’t like this to the other guys.  It kills me to see the way you treat them compared to how you act around me. You’re always the first to forgive those other idiots despite all the horrible shit they’ve done not just to you but your family over the years. These bastards would happily gut you and rape your dying corpse, you know? You even think my brother’s just a poor, misunderstood baby, yet he’s actively trying to murder at least one of your brothers. And let’s not start on how fickle your affections are…”

            “First off, I trust King more than you, B- ** _ass_**. And that’s because unlike you, I know he’s a good person inside. He’s proven that, unlike you. I also know that I can believe what he says, also unlike you. I can’t trust you to be honest about how involved he really was, buy I can honestly say that whatever he did it for the good of the others. Not just to stroke his own over-inflated ego.”

            The darker robot began to reply then just shrugged and drank some more.

“And the other Wily robots at least are _trying_ to be better people. Unlike you, B- _ass,_ ” Rock continued with bark as he smacked both hands on the desk angrily. “And no, Zero is not trying to kill any of my family members. Blues isn’t my brother. And that whole duel thing was just a stupid misunderstanding! I’m sure they can find a peaceful solution.” Rock took a deep breath, then added with a slight slur, “And one final thing: you need to lay off poor little Caddie! He didn’t do anything wrong! I was trying to cheer to poor kid up. We’ve both been having a crappy night.”

            “Yeah, about that…” growled Bass as he leaned forward with glare. “Rock, what day is it?”

            Rock blinked. “Sorry?”

            “What’s today’s date?”

            “Uh…hold on,” said Rock as he checked his internal clock. “It’s Friday, the fourteenth of February, 2014…Oh crap! It’s Valentine’s?!”

            “That’s what February fourteenth usually means.”

            “You asked me out on date on Valentine’s Day?!” barked Rock.

            “Yes, but now that’s not important,” Bass muttered. “I need you to tell me the time, too.”

            “You asked me out on **_Valentine’s Day_**?!” Rock repeated angrily as his muzzy and buzzy brain only managed to grasp onto that one fact. “And then you go and stood me up?! You… you fucking jerk!”

            “Well! Never thought the little robot boy scout could curse! I’m shocked! I’d be pissed, but to be honest I am just really fucking impressed with just how drunk you are right now. I always thought you’d be a lightweight…” Bass laughed bitterly. Pouring himself another shot and gave Rock a cold smile. “Call me whatever you’d like! Right now I need you to just tell me what time it is.”

            “It’s 11:5—Uh...hang on.” Trying to access his clock again, Rock got a message asking to update. He shrugged it off as just being the time zone difference, but when the update finished Rock was left staring in shock. “It’s about… Wait, that can’t be right.”

            “What’s it say, Rock?” Downing a second glassful, Bass leaned back and put his feet up.

            “It’s… No. This just can’t be right!” Rock glared suspiciously at Bass. “What did you do?”

            “Nothing… But I’m guessing you just noticed something really funny with your clock.”

            “This isn’t funny, B- _ass_.”

            “In Sapporo, it’s Monday, February 17, 2014 at 08:45:00 pm,” said Bass abruptly, not bothering to correct Rock for mispronouncing his name again. “In San Francisco, it’s  3:45 in the morning right now. My dear little boy, my idiot brother, and you have all been missing three days.” Bass sat up, leaning his elbows on the desk  and staring at Rock from behind his peaked fingers as he continued in a flat voice.

“The idiot parade has been getting into running battles thinking one of the other Robot Masters snatched you and Caddie up for ‘fun time’… And I’ve been tearing the better part of Northern California apart looking for you three to make sure that didn’t happen. There’s a fucking monster hyena rampaging around trying to kill both my brother and Blues.”

Bass jerked upright, leaning in so close to Rock that he could feel his breath as he said in the same dead voice, “I only stopped searching for you three because I had to go save your asshole brother’s life and drag him back here to be repaired. And he promptly fucked off to go fight and die for his principles. Then I run into my brother in the hallway, who cheerfully tells me not only have you and Caddie have magically reappeared but you’re drunkenly playing tonsil hockey?”

Rock cringed in shame while Bass just started giggling madly.

Suddenly, Bass went silent. Reaching up, his fingers closed tightly around Rock’s throat. “Now, I really only have one question left for you: Where the fuck have you been?”

            Rock stared at him, mouth gaping like a landed fish. Then he said, “I…I don’t know. When Zero teleported us out of Dollies’, it was still Friday night. It couldn’t have been later than eleven something at night…”

            “And the three of you pop back three days later? Three whole days just…” Bass released his grip and made a wide gesture. “‘POOF!’?”

            “But that can’t be possible…”

            Before Bass could speak, a deep voice behind Rock said, “Apparently, it is. Wily’s monster just steals you away, all hell broke loose, then you reappear here, drunk off your ass along an likely equally plastered Caddie and missing three days’ worth of time.” He cocked his head suddenly as if listening for something, then smiled bitterly. “And thank God that’s **_all_** both of you are missing.”

            Rock turned and stared up at Blues. “What are you doing here? And…what is that on your shoulder?”

            “It’s a cannon,” he replied. “They installed it with my other upgrades when I went back on active duty. Now let’s get you home.”

            “Excuse me?” hissed Bass as he stood up threateningly. “I thought you were going to never return here again.”

            “That was before I realized you had my little brother. We’re leaving. Now.” Blues grabbed Rock by the arm and dragged him protesting out of the room. He practically carried Rock through the cavernous rooms and hallways until they reached a bank of teleport platforms. Letting go of Rock, Blues knelt and began fiddling with a platform.

            “What is going on?” asked Rock, trying to rub the feeling back into his arm. He finally took a better look at Blues, noticing that his armor now resembled a soldier’s fatigues, complete with insignias, pins and a scroll on his right sleeve saying ’75 Ranger Rgt’. “And why are you wearing that?”

            “I’m on duty. And there’s nothing you need to worry about. Now just stay quiet.” Blues pulled a tiny box with wires out of his pocket and hooked it up to the platform.

            “There’s a hyena guy running amok and it’s nothing to worry about?!” Rock snapped, then sat down in a sudden fit of dizziness. “And what do you mean I’m you little brother?”

            “I mean that I’m Dr. Light’s first sss-… his sssss-… The first truly _self-aware_ robot. I am the first Robot Master ever,” said Blues as he adjusted the frequency. “Which means you’re one of my baby brothers. And because of that, I’m stepping up to do what should’ve been doneall those years ago so **_you_** don’t need to worry about crazy monsters or other emergencies anymore.”

            “Blues, what are you talking about? I’m Mega Man, Defender of the Human Race. Dealing with monsters and emergencies is kind of my job. It’s what I was made for, for crying out loud.”

             “No. **_You_** were made to be Dr. Light’s _precious_ son and helper. He created you to **_replace m-_** …” Blues stopped, breathing heavily as he gripped the panel so hard it dented. Then he simply said, “You were made to replace his first robot because it was too broken for him to care about anymore. The one that he made to be a combat robot. The robot the _Good Doctor_ purposely designed to be the perfect soldier: loyal, capable, willing to fight…and **_disposable_**. I was born to be alone and I will die alone. Now why don’t you just shut up and let me finish?”

            Rock winced at the bitterness he heard in the older robot’s voice. A long silence fell between them.

“Blues… Big brother? You don’t…you don’t have to do this alone…” He reached out to comfort him only for Blues to slap his hand away.

            “I will not have **_you_** pitying me.” Making one last adjustment, Blues stood, jerked Rock upright and shoved him onto the platform before stepping up himself. He gripped Rock’s arm tightly again before teleporting out.

            It was still dark out when they landed in the front lawn of the Light house. The only real light came from the flames coming off the hulking creature currently trying to remove two smaller robots from its back.

            “Oh god! Miss Roll, I don’t think we can’t keep this up much longer,” cried Cut as he and a badly damaged Oil tried to hold back the giant burning monster staggering towards the house. Ice was lying in a heap by the porch, scorched and trying to get back to his feet.

            “Okay, just hold on! I think I got it fixed…” Roll, wearing a set of pale blue armor that looked more appropriate for a magic anime girl, snapped the cover back on her arm canon and charged up what Rock immediately saw was an Ice Slasher. The shot slammed the monster right in the chest, causing it to collapse to its knees.

            “It _burns_...” sobbed the monster, grabbing its head with its remaining hand. “Please… My head… Make it stop **_burning_**! IT BURNS! BURNS! BURNS!”

            “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” gasped Roll, lowering her canon. “But if you don’t stop, someone else is going to be hurt. Please…please calm down. Please…”

            Before Rock could react, Blues had already leveled his shoulder canon. There was a knife in his left hand and a broken blade in his right as he moved toward them. “Roll, you and the other two get away from that thing.”

            “Wait!” Quickly closing the distance between them, Rock leaned in close to the monster. “Uh, hi. I don’t know what’s going on but my sister’s right. You need to calm down please so we can help you. You want to stop the burning, right?”

            The monster’s head whipped around so fast it nearly hit Rock in the face with its muzzle. It stared at him for a long time, then a look of lucidity and recognition flashed in its eyes. “X…? What are you doing here?”

            “Uh… I’m not X. My name’s Rock,” he said gently. “I’m here to help you.”

            With a miserable groan, the monster clutched its head again and started sobbing. “God, why do you let me suffer? Is…is this this a test? Must I burn to prove my worth?”

“No, no you don’t have to hurt anymore. We’re going to try and help you. Is that okay, Mister…”

            “I am not a man,” corrected the monster, glaring at him. “Know that I am Flame Hyenard. Know that I am ninth daughter of the Infernus Pachycrocuta. Know that I was born of fire in the year of our Lord 2298. Know that I was baptized in the Scared Flame of the Our Holy Mother in the year of our Lord 2303. Know that I am here to do God’s work, kind child. The innocent shall be spared…”

            “Oh…uh, thank you, Ms. Hyenard.” Moving slowly, Rock and Roll helped her up. They started walking towards the front door with Oil and Cut helping Ice follow behind. “We’re going inside now, okay? So just stay calm. I’m going to look at your head, ma’am, and see what I can do to help.”

            “Are you out of your mind?” snapped Blues as he followed them into the house and to the lab. “That thing is a monster! If you knew what that beast did, you wouldn’t be so quick to help…”

            “And you kicked my dog, worked as Dr. Wiley’s henchman, kicked my dog, kidnapped Kalinka then threatened to kill her, kicked my dog, smashed those poor Sniper Joes for no reason, kicked my dog, attacked brainwashed and sick robots without even trying to help them, kicked my dog, and took a potshot at Stern on Wiley’s orders. Oh, and let’s not forget _you kicked my dog_ ,” Rock snapped as they helped the hyena robot onto a table. “Yet I would still help you, no matter who you are or what you’ve done, Blues. Because it’s the right thing to do.”

            Blues stared at him, then said softly, “I did not want to do this, but I will not let your stupid, reckless need to be the hero put everyone’s lives in danger.”

            There were a couple of dull thumps from the hall. Before anyone else could react, a group of eleven uniformed robots in trooped into the lab. They quickly surrounded the table with Flame Hyenard, with one of the soldiers going over to Blues. Rock noticed that they looked exactly like cyborg panther and also had the same scroll on their shoulder that Blues’ had.

            “Is this the entity, lieutenant?” they asked.

            “Yes, sergeant. Corporal Coppelia, help Specialist Arkeville and Yammark prep the entity for transport.”

            Immediately, three soldiers closed in Hyenard and two of them, a white haired cyborg and a very pretty dragonfly, started pulling tools out of their packs.

            “Hold on! Stop!” Furiously waving the soldiers off, Rock gave Blues a horrified look. “She needs help!”

            “Excuse me, _sir_ , but this is an issue of national security. We are just following orders,” growled Blues in a mockingly polite tone. “Now please step aside, _sir_.”

            “Sir, please do as the lieutenant says,” said the sergeant.

            “I will not,” Rock answered, shifting back into his armor. “I don’t know what you’re planning on doing with her, but Ms. Hyneard needs help. She’s showing symptoms—”

            “That are similar to Roboenza, sir!” finished the dragonfly girl.

            Blues glared at him. “Thank you, Specialist Yammark. But I will remind you that any further statements about whether or not the entity is infected with a virus will result in a court-martial. Is that clear?”

            “Yes, sir.” Yammark visibly wilted as she went back to work.

            “But if this is a resurgence of Roboenza, then people need to be warned before it gets out of control,” gasped Roll.

            “This may not be a virus, sis—ma’am,” Blues replied as his sergeant tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. “One moment, Sergeant Panther. I have a…personal matter to deal with.”

Clearing his throat, Blues said gruffly, “Roll, I cannot give out the full details per orders but I am able to say this isn’t an outbreak of Roboenza. The reason for the secrecy is to prevent a widespread panic. Now just calm down, sis. I have everything under control.”

            Rock glared at him. “Really? All you seem to be doing in bossing people around and trying to kill a sick lady.”

            “He does have a point, Blues,” Roll said as she stared at the soldiers. “Any way, she’s calmed down now. And I think we were doing just fine.”

            “…well, it could’ve been _worse_ ,” murmured Cut.

            “We had the situation under control, lieutenant!” Ice said smartly, doing his best not to collapse again.

            “Really?” sneered Blues, then he let out an exhausted sigh. “Then I expect a full report, _corporal_.”

            Oil just glared his one good eye at him. “Yeh want a report? Fine! Here’s yer fuckin’ report: Shit started when the hyena monster comes crashin’ through the yard lookin’ for some secret lab. Then, Ice and I try to stop ‘em only for Roll to pop up dressed in that crazy get-up. I ain’t thrilled, but she did manage to keep the monster from stompin’ us, so there’s that. We almost had ‘em down, then the monster gets hold of Ice and punts him into the wall. Then it was my turn for an asskickin’, as yeh can see. So Time comes out and tries to use Time Stopper to freeze the monster while Cut chops it up. Yeh can see how that went.”

            “Hey!” gasped Cut, trying to hide his injuries from the others’ view. “I took off her arm! That had to count for something….”

 “This ain’t a _game_ , Cut. Getting’ back on track, while I was learnin’ about all the amazin’ kinds of shit that can be kicked out of me, Roll goes to Ice and gets his weapon ‘cause it was have the best effect. She missed with her first shot and hit Time with an Ice Slasher, freezing him. Then the monster goes gallopin’ off to the front yard, draggin’ Cut and me along for the ride. And then yeh and Rock teleport in, leadin’ us all to right now.” Angrily, Oil pushed past Blues and said, “Now, if y’all don’t mind, I’m goin’ go pry my bae out of compost heap. He’s probably starting to thaw out by now.”

They all watched him hobble into the hall, then Blues turned to Roll. “Is that what happened, sis?”

“Eh, yeah. Give or take a few minor details…”

“I see…” Frowning, Blues said in a cold voice, “Young lady, I **_never_** want to hear about any of my little baby siblings getting involved in combat again. And you get rid of that armor right now. Neither of you need to have armor or arm canons any longer. I will be doing the fighting from now on. ”

“He’s right, sis,” Rock said with a nod. “ ** _You_** don’t need all that stuff because **_Megaman’s_** here.”

Everyone gave him a cold look that made Rock’s confidence wilt into a dull queasiness.

“I believe you misheard me, Rock,” growled Blues. “I said both you and Roll are turning in your armor and arms to me tonight. As of right now, you can consider Megaman retired!”

The sergeant suddenly cleared his throat. “Actually, lieutenant, that’s what I need to tell you. The brass just called and told us to bring Mega Man along. They are watching our optic feeds, sir. And listening in, too. By the way, Colonel Gibson wants to have a few…words with you when we get to Camp Parks, sir.”

            Blues stared at his sergeant for a long time, then said, “Sergeant, I need you to inform Colonel Gibson that Rock… _Megaman_ is in no condition to long-jump. He will give a statement about his formal and permanent retirement in the morning.”

            “I most certainly will _not_!” barked Rock, feeling bold and fully loaded. He staggered up to Blues, doing his best to get up in the much taller robot’s face as he angrily said, “You can just tell this Commander Gibson that I’m coming along to make sure that nothing happens to Ms. Hyneard. I also am going to make sure she gets the help she needs. And you tell him I’m doing all this because I can’t trust my asshole brother not to take this poor lady out somewhere in middle of the desert and have her shot!”

            The sergeant stared back and forth between the two of them. Then he looked to Blues and said, “I have already taken the liberty to inform the colonel that Megaman is too drunk…uh, sorry, too _shaken_ from both a long-jump malfunction and rendering assistance to leave at this time, sir.”

            “Thank you, sergeant.”

            “Sir, I also told him you will be remaining here to ensure both the safety of Megaman and his family…”

            Blues glared indifferently down at Rock. “That was a very good call. Thank you, Sergeant Panther.”

            “I… I also told him that the rest of the team will be staying here to guard the entity till they send the transport to take us to Camp Parks, sir…”

            “ETA?”

            “0600 Uniform, sir. Colonel Gibson stated he will personally be riding with the convoy to debrief us on the way back prior to a press conference at 1200 Uniform, sir. ” The sergeant braced himself as he added, “Also, Agents Stern and Kratz from the Bureau will be coming with us…as well as Field Operative Vane, sir.”

            “Ophelia?” Blues repeated in a horrified voice, going so tense that Rock was afraid he might snap.  “ ** _She’s_** involved in this?”

            “Yes, sir. Operative Vane is the CIA’s consultant for robot related incidents, sir.”

            “I see.” Taking a deep breath, Blues said calmly, “Sergeant Panther, I am putting you in charge while I debrief Megaman and help him with his _condition_.” Turning sharply, he boomed, “Specialist Yammark and Specialist Arkeville, you are to assist Roll in repairing herself and her siblings, as well as keeping the entity in a stabilized condition. Corporal Coppelia, I want you to take five men and secure the house. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my express permission. The rest of you are to guard this room. Is that clear?”

Amid the booming ‘yes, sirs!’, the corporal simply nodded and silently lead  some soldiers out into the hall.

Blues turned back to the sergeant. “Sergeant, if there is an emergency, I am to be notified immediately. If it’s anything else, I will leave it at your discretion whether or not I need to be involved. Is that clear, sergeant?”

            “Yes, sir!”

            With a nod, Blues took hold of Rock’s arm and dragged him out into the hallway.

            “I need to go back and help them. I am a mechanic,” snarled Rock as he struggled to get away.

            “And you are too drunk to function,” Blues said dryly. He opened the door to Rock’s room, shoving him inside without even bothering to cut the lights on. Shutting the door behind them, he let go. “Do you even know how much you had to drink?”

            “I only had 7-ish drinks. And that was over four hours ago…eh, not counting the missing time thing.”

            “Discounting the missing time, you actually had approximately 110 ounces of alcohol plus the incapaciting agent Metal ordered slipped in your drinks.”

            “He what?” Rock staggered and sat on the bed.

            “Metal had them drugging your drinks,” repeated Blues. “Normally, I would have killed him for that but given the reason Metal did it, I… I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same myself.”

            Rock just glared at him. “Why did he do that? And will you stop beating up everyone that’s even slightly interested in me?”

            “Metal wanted to get you out of the bar… and get you somewhere safe. Dolly’s is a rough place for a silly little kid. He was afraid that you might get hurt and after what happened, I can understand.” Blues leaned against the door. “Secondly, let me say that every one of those bastards has deserved each beating I have ever given them. And Metal especially deserves it. With interest. Just…just trust me on that.”

            “You’re just as bad as Bass…” Rock grumbled. “Just another bully.”

            “And you’re dumb little boy who wants to play the hero all the time and can’t hold his liquor,” replied Blues flatly.

            “I do not!” Rock snapped back. “I _hate_ having to fight all the time.”

            “Then why are you so reluctant to give up your gun? Give up your gun and put an end to all this foolishness.”

             “I **_can’t_**!” gasped Rock. “I really can’t! If I stopped being Megaman and went back to just being dad’s assistant, who’s going to protect the world?”

            Blues sighed and knelt down beside him. “I will, Rock.”

            “But what if Wiley comes back? You…you worked for him before.” Rock eyed him suspiciously. “What’s stopping you from working for him again? Or what if you never really left Wiley’s side at all? He might have asked you to talk me into disabling my cannon in order to get me out of the way once and for all. Who will protect people then?”

            “You think that I’m trying to disarm you as part of a plot cooked up by Dr. Wiley?” asked Blues in a hurt tone. “You really think that I’m still working for him even after all these years? And you think that I would volunteer to be the one who finally took Megaman out?”

            “Uh….well…” Rock turned away to avoid meeting Blues’ gaze. “When you put it like that, I sound kind of paranoid…”

            “Actually, that is completely true.”

            “What?!” Rock whipped around and stared at him in shock.

            “You are completely right to suspect my motives,” replied Blues calmly. “I’ve been working for Wiley on and off over the years. I have every reason to wish you harm…and you have every reason not to trust me. But you still do, because it’s just your nature to see the best in others. There’s also the fact that Roll and our brothers all trust me as well. Elec and Time are the only two who’d ever even be suspicious of my motives. I have total access to the house and all of you. So it’s easy for me to come in here and get to you. You’ve always been willing to take my advice to heart, because I’ve always made sure to be the reliable mentor. I’ve spent so long building a bond of trust with you. And you have gotten very fond of me, haven’t you? No matter what I do, you’re still willing to believe me even if I am lying like a goddamn dog to your face. All that means I’m **_exactly_** the type of person for this job.”

            “You…you mean you’ve been planning this for **_years_**?” croaked Rock, trying hard not to cry.

            “Yes. You’d be amazed by how far ahead Wiley was all of you,” Blues said as he brushed the tears off his brother’s cheek. “He is a **_genius_** , you know. He’ll never let anyone forget that. And it’s completely possible that Wiley purposely let you win all those battles just to see what the Good Doctor’s **_precious son_** was made of. He kept throwing all those robots at you, watching all those battles, letting all those poor bastards die just to study you. To learn how to make the perfect robot. And, thanks to you Rock, Wiley succeeded! He created his masterpiece. Now all that’s left is to get you out of the way so he can unleash it on the world!”

            Shaking his head in disbelief, Rock said, “No…no. That can’t be true! Why would you do such a thing?! No, you couldn’t do such a thing!”

            Blues suddenly grabbed Rock’s chin and jerked him into a painful kiss. He bit down hard on the shocked robot’s lip, trying to pry his mouth open.

            Twisting away, Rock reared back and punched his brother with everything he could muster. There was a dull clatter as Blues’ shades hit the floor. “You bastard!”

            Blues said nothing as he turned to vicious smile at him, finally letting Rock see his eyes. The left eye stared out from a lidless mess of melted synthetic flesh, glowing red and angry from out a blackened socket. It was obviously damaged years ago, yet Blues had just left it rust and degraded into a horrible state. But that was less disturbing than the right side. It looked like a natural eye, vivid green and beautiful but with a hateful, jealous gleam.

            “Look familiar?” hissed Blues, getting right back in Rock’s face. “Kind of like looking in a mirror, isn’t it? You know, there was a time I might have forgiven the Good Doctor for what happened. I might have even gone back home to him… to die as his son, but then I say you and Roll. For a moment I was afraid but then I thought ‘My dad wouldn’t forget me. He wouldn’t toss me aside like I was junk.’  So I kept telling myself that it was just a misunderstanding, that Dad still loved me. You were just more commission work like the others...  And if you weren’t… well, I always did want siblings. So I sat on the ledge and I hoped… I had so hoped… and then I finally saw you clearly Rock. I saw that he gave you my face…”

            “Blues, I…”

            “ ** _He gave you my face, Rock_**!” snarled Blues, then he leaned back and went frighteningly calm. “You never can understand what it was like, being abandoned by a father you thought loved you. A man you spent years hoping would come and bring you back home. You will never understand the feeling of knowing not only were you going to die in agony, but that you would do so **_alone_**. I was always alone till Wiley found me dying on a scrap heap. He saved my life without destroying **_me_**. He saw me as a person, something **_irreplaceable_**.  And for that, I am grateful. I’m so damn grateful to know that at least one of my fathers actually love me.”

            “…what?”

            “Wiley’s my father, Rock,” said Blues in a monotone. “He’s as much my father as Dr. Light is. They used to be the closest of friends and together created the first truly sentient robot. But the Good Doctor never told you that, did he? Can’t have his **_beloved son_** learning that his father had help making his great breakthrough!” He stood and, reaching down to pick up his shades, went to the door to his bedroom. Keeping his back to Rock, he said coldly, “He never even tried to find me after I left. The Good Doctor just kept on making newer, better robots. And then one day he **_replaced me_** … with **_you_** , Rock. You are the obedient, perfect little boy he always wanted. You are the son he loves above all the others… Dr. Thomas Light’s favorite child! **_And I will never forgive you._** ”

            Rock’s mouth moved soundlessly but Blues went out and the door slammed close, leaving him sitting in the darkness. He stared at the door, quietly hoping his brother would come back in and say it was all just a joke. But the door remained shut. Rock vaguely realized he’d started crying. Slowly, he laid down on the bed and curled into a tight little ball. In between the quiet, violent sobs he finally fell into a heavy sleep.

***

            Elec leaned against the plain dresser as Blues came in, locking the connecting door to  Rock’s room behind him. “You bastard. You had no right to say that to him!”

            Without a word, Blues sat down on his bed and pulled a bottle out from under the mattress. He took a deep drink, then looked as if he’d just noticed his younger brother. “He’s got less than an hour to get some sleep. And Rock needs to be sober enough to not to make a complete fool of himself in front of both the press and the brass. A shock like that should do the trick.”

            “You fucking told him you hate him and were actively trying to kill him. And the only reason why is just because Rock exists?” muttered Elec as he took a draw off his vaporizer. “That is a bit more than a shock.”

            “And you’ve been lying to Dad about what you’re doing for a living for almost nine years. I mean, Dally City wasn’t that bad,” Blues growled back. “Tell me something: Just how did you manage to not only be lecturing in Berkley but also playing in a shitty little bar band and checking in to a hotel with one of Metal’s little pets?”

            Elec only smiled with a shrug. “I’m just that damn good.”

            Blues glared at him. Taking one last drink, he got to his feet and moved to the hallway door. He stopped right in front of his brother. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I swear to God if you try anything with Rock—”

            “Excuse me?” Taking a deep drag, Elec exhaled a cloud of vapor in Blues’ face. “You’ve done enough to my poor baby brother. All you ever do is hurt Rock.”

            “Rock’s my little brother too, asshole,” hissed Blues.

            “No.” Elec moved so they were almost touching. “You were never his brother. You were never Big Brother to any of them! **_I was._** And you want to know why? Because I was **_here_** for them, Blues. While you were out being the big bad brooding wanderer, I was here being the oldest son. I was the guy who had to be responsible, who had to take care of the little ones if something went wrong. You got to be the Man of Mystery, running around having all kinds of adventures. Me? I got to deal with talking Ice out of his depressions, or comforting Cut whenever he’d get teased… or sitting up with Rock and Roll whenever they’d have nightmares. Did you know Roll used to ask for you when that happen? Well, not you but her ‘big-big brother’. But I had to tell her that you weren’t here.”

            Blues jaw tightened. “I… I had a good reason. You know that.”

            “No,” snapped Elec in a soft voice. “All I know is that I was here for my family, Blues. And you never were. And I will never forgive you for that.”

            Elec stepped back and walked out the door without another word.


	7. Bathyspheric Hutch

_Tuesday, 18 th of February, 2014, 11:45 AM_

_Camp Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, Dublin, CA_

                Everything had gone by so quickly once the convoy showed up. Rock had stood aside as the soldiers quickly swarmed into the house and packed Ms. Hyenard into a truck amid a blitz of photographers, reporters, television vans and curious neighbors. Guts and Fire showed up just as the police arrived to keep things civil and were dragged off to have a cryptic conversation by Elec, who’d seemingly appeared from nowhere with a cup of Starbuck in one hand and a cigarette in the other. While that was going on, Blues had been cornered by a weasely little man who seemed to have known him for a very long time. Either way, Rock was lucky that the press ignored him in favor of demanding interviews with the ‘brave Lieutenant’.

After he’d slipped off to take care of a little matter, Rock vaguely recalled some of the engineers  and a few of the police officers sneaking over to him to chat about Dr. Light’s work and ask him for autographs. And he had smiled, giving them short polite answers while signing whatever they handed him. He kept right on smiling politely when he got into a nice limo. He was soon flanked on both sides by Blues and Elec while  Colonel Gibson and Rosie took the seats facing his brothers while a chatty little woman in a nicely tailored suit dress sat across from him.

                Rock remembered the chatty woman never gave her name even though she spent nearly the entire three hour drive talking, focusing almost entirely on Blues for some reason.  She kept asking him about how his little pet project was coming along or talking about how nice it had been working with him. It didn’t surprise Rock that Blues only gave her rude, near-monosyllabic replies.  Whenever Blues’ answers weren’t to her liking, the woman turned to Elec and asked him about something that happened in Daly City. She only give up when even asking him about if there had been an annulment or if it never counted legally at all didn’t cause Elec break his silence. That and the way Rosie suddenly turned a truly evil glare at her which made Rock cringe might have help.

That was when she decided to focus on talking to Rock. But unlike the others, he kept right smiling as he gave the woman polite answers to her questions, even if they seemed kind of strange like how he felt about being a robot or had he ever considered going to armed forces and his opinion on compulsory conscription of certain robots for military use.  Blues cut him off before he could even begin to give her his honest (and very impolite) answer. Then she asked him about Roll and whether he and his sister would be interested in taking part in a little project.

 It had been the those last two questions that finally caused Blues to snap and angrily demand that she stop talking to Rock. The silence had been deafening after his outburst as the chatty woman smiled coldly at Blues, then she turned to Gibson and pleasantly started talking to him about what  a fine officer he had in his command.  She also cryptically brought up how badly that army needed more volunteers for something called Project “Maverick”, which caused both Rosie and Elec to visibly squirm. Gibson only answered that there were still enough robotic and uplift enlistees  for their purposes. The colonel immediately shut her down when she joked about them having a little problem about the high number of “Section 8’s” in the current group.

                It was only when they reached the base that Rock realized the chatty woman was full-conversion cybrog.

                Rock didn’t have much time to think when soldiers hustled them into an austere waiting room. A clerk came out of the doors and the chatty woman disappeared through the heavy metal doors along with Colonel Gibson and Blues. Once the door closed behind the clerk, Elec and Rosie immediately moved to the far corner and started whispering with each other. Yet even as the minutes stretched to hours and the faint conversation turned into a barely audible argument about some kind of ‘engagement’, Rock kept on smiling politely.

 He was still smiling politely when the smart looking clerk reappeared to lead him through the metal doors. He continued smiling politely as they told him to face the table of old officers in uniforms covered with in ribbons and medals. The chatty woman was standing just to his left, matching his smile with an equally polite one of her own. When they asked him what happened, Rock repeated back to them the events of the last few nights including the three days of missing time. Several of the men scribbled down notes while the chatty woman only smiled at Rock. Finally, the lead officer nodded and dismissed him. That very, very, very polite smile stayed firmly fixed on his face when the clerk lead him out a different set of metal doors and left him alone in tiny breakroom.

                It was only when he knew there was no one else to see that Rock collapsed into the hard plastic chair. He sat there for a few minutes, then pulled a E-tank out of his shunt space. He’d taken a box of them from the ones Fire had hidden in the garage before leaving. Rock knew that they weren’t going to be very tasty but he hadn’t been expecting such a horrible flavor when he finally took a drink. Still, while it tasted like rotten mulch and battery acid, it was already doing the job so he forced himself to finish off the canister and pop open another. He was half-way through his fifth canister when the door banged open.

                “ _You_ ,” hissed Yammark, glaring at him with those pretty eyes.

                “Me?” slurred Rock, trying to force a stoic, polite smile but failing in giggles.

                “I know what you’re doing!” she snapped angrily. “And I will not stand for it anymore!”

                 “What are you…oh. Sorry! Didn’t mean to be greedy…” Holding out the canister, Rock said, “Here.”

                “That’s not what this is about and you know it!” she snapped again, slapping the canister to the floor.

                Rock stared at her blearily. “Geez…you just had to say no. There’s no need to be mean.” He suddenly grinned, stumbling to his feet as he leaned in close to Yammark. “You’re just way too pretty to be acting so mean. And—don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re the first girl I’ve ever met that I’d like to date.”

                “Girl? **_Girl_**?!” Yammark stiffened as one eye began to twitch. “I’m a **_MAN_** you little bastard!”

                “…you’re a _guy_?” Rock whimpered, staggering back.

                “Yes.”

                Groaning miserably, Rock blurted out, “God dammit! Why the hell does everyone I find hot have to be male?! I…I don’t wanna be gay. I’m not any good at **_being_** gay! I don’t wanna have to act like Elec! I just can’t act that **_girly!_**  I can’t even fake a lisp! And I’d rather be in char—”

                Yammark punched him hard enough to send Rock sprawling to the floor.

                “Hey!” muttered Rock as he sat back up. “What the hell? Why did you do that?”

                “You know _why_!” hissed Yammark. He reached down and dragged Rock up so they were face to face. “Deny, deny, deny all you want, you fucking bitch! But he’s mine! ONLY MINE!”

                “Uh…okay. Who are you talking about?  Because I think there’s been a misunderstanding…”

                Giggling madly, Yammark slammed him hard against the wall. “NO! You’re the one who’s misunderstood! He loves **_me_** , not a drunken, useless piece of scrap like you!”

                Buzz crashing in around him, Rock shook off the ringing in his head as he said, “Look, I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about!”

                “LIAR!” shrieked Yammark as his fingers closed tight around Rock’s neck while he kept slamming him into the wall. “He saved me! He was my knight in shining armor! He was my first and my only! HE LOVES ME, YOU LITTLE BASTARD! He. Loves. Only. Me! And. He. Belongs. To. **_ME_**! **_VILE. LOVES—_** _”_

                Yammark froze mid-rant, staring down at the thin blade pressed just under his jaw.

                “Commander,” hummed a clownishly thin robot with antlers that had an oddly familiar voice. “Did you forget what the boss-man said _not_ to do to this twerp?”

                “…no harm is to come to him…” whispered Yammark.

                “I didn’t hear that, pretty boy!” said the thin robot, who Rock realized looked like some kind of beetle.

                “We are not to harm DLN:001, Rock!” barked Yammark, glaring at Rock in impotent rage.

                “Good, pretty boy! Now, give me the twerp and we’ll all just pretend this nasty little incident never happened.”

                Letting out a shockingly deep throated snarl, Yammark released his grip and let Rock drop to the floor. He chattered something unpleasant at the beetle bot before storming off.

                Rock laid on there for a few moments to get his senses back, then he noticed the beetle bot was holding out a hand to him.

                “You all right there, twerp?” he asked, helping Rock to his feet.

                “Uh, yeah. I’ll be okay,” muttered Rock as he rubbed his sore neck. “Just what the heck is that guy’s deal? And who this ‘Vile’ guy?”

                “You’ll find out soon enough, twerp,” said the beetle bot while he wrapped a friendly around Rock’s shoulders. He quickly hustled Rock out into the hallway. “Right now, we have got to get our asses out of here.”

                “Why? What’s wrong?”

                “Your big brother is about to show up and me being _here_ with **_you_** when he shows up will ruin everything.”

                Rock froze and stared up at him. “Why? I’m sure he won’t mind... Blues really doesn’t care what happens to me anyway. Besides, you’re taking me to get cleaned up before the press conference, right?”

                The beetle bot seemed to smile behind his faceplate. “Oh no, Mega Man. I have run the calculations and there’s only one way things can happen if we are to have the best outcome. To prevent all our work from going straight down the toilet, you cannot be left with either Blues or Vile. But I can’t just kill you, otherwise everything very literally goes straight to hell. Believe me, I have survived one too many Hell scenarios where you died too early and it is not something I care to repeat. So that’s why I have to kidnap you and keep you somewhere till I can safely dispose of you.”  He pulled a collar out and suddenly slapped it around Rock’s neck.

                The little robot couldn’t even manage a scream as the voltage slammed through his body, knocking his motive system offline. Rock could only watch helplessly the beetle bot lifted him up like a sack of concrete and started to run down the hall. They came sudden stop when they saw the firefight raging on right at the exit.

                “KUWANGER!” roared the massive robot as he easily slapped aside the last soldier. If it hadn’t been for different helmet, Rock could have sworn it was Blues walking menacingly towards them.

                The beetle bot turned to run then frozen at the sight of more soldiers coming down the hall.

                “ROCK!” shouted Blues from the head of the soldiers, causing the green monster to stop and meet his stare.

                There was a long, tense moment before chaos erupted as the green monster lunged for Blues while his brother dove towards Rock. Right as they were to collide, the beetle bot ran straight for the wall and, contrary to Rock’s fearful expectation, they didn’t smash into the cinderblocks but seem to slide through into a vast emptiness. They moved across the vast nothing that Rock couldn’t help but think as a streamline motion, like raindrops blowing over a windshield at 90 miles an hour.  It felt like forever but when they came back to the real world, it could only have been a few seconds because Rock could still hear the fighting just a short distance behind.

                Cursing violently in that weird clicking language Yammark had used, the beetle bot took off a dead run that would have made Quick Man livid in jealously. They only made it to a small lake when another robot appeared from nowhere and clotheslined the beetle bot.

                “Fffff-Flash Man?” gasped Rock from where he laid sprawled on the sandy dirt.

                “Hi babe!” Grinning, Flash removed the collar and pulled Rock to his feet. He then pulled out a normal E-tank and tossed it to him. “Here, baby-doll! Why don’t you go take a seat over by the trees while your old man shows you what he’s made of.”

                 The beetle bot stood there staring, then a holographic screen appeared in his palm as he frantically looked through the screens. “When the _fuck_ did you two start to…uh, fuck? That just ain’t happening in any of the timelines I’ve been to or even scanned!”

                “Oh no! We’re not a couple!” said Rock once he’d finished the tank. “It’s….it’s just a term of endearment.”

                Flash had a slightly hurt look on his face while the beetle bot just  seemed unconvinced.

                “Whatever,” rasped the beetle bot as he turned to Flash. “Look, junker, normally I’d have such a massive murder boner over killing relics like you but I haven’t got time for this shit right now. So why don’t you hand over the twerp and go fuck yourself.”

                “Twerp? Now that’s just rude,” Flash snarled, loudly cracking his knuckles as he got up in the beetle bot’s face. “I don’t know who you are, little punk, but I’m about make you pay for insulting **_my baby boy blue_**.”

                “It’s not punk, baldie. My name is Kuwanga. Boomer Kuwanga.” He took  a few steps back and flicked out his blades. “And since you wanna die today, I guess I’ll just have to oblige.”

                “That’s fine by me, **_Kawanker_**.”

                In a glimmer, they vanished and reappeared a distance away locked in a bitter struggle. Rock was about to rush over and try to break it up when caught a faint glint from the woods. Years of combat experience taking over, he immediately dodge to the side a giant lion came roaring out of the cover. He barely regained his footing and shift into his armor on when the lion swiped at him with massive claws. It was all Rock could do to keep out range of the roaring lion robot’s attacks. Finally, seeing no other choice, he began peppering the one-eye beast with buster cannon blasts. He managed to get the other robot to back off long enough to power up a charged shot.

                Rock charged the lion and landed an uppercut right in the jaw. To his horror, the lion was barely even singed.

                The lion sneered down at him as he roared in anger. “How dare you insult me this way! Know that I am Slash Beast, Steel King of Destruction! I who serve as Commander of All Land Forces! I have fought thousands and all who opposed me has fallen to my claws! I will not be toyed with by a mere cub! Now stand and deliver, Mega Man! Or die as nothing more than prey!”

                “But I don’t want to fight anymore!” Rock said, disengaging his cannon. “Please believe me, sir! We can find a peacefully solution, can’t we? There doesn’t have to be a battle, not anymore. In fact, I was going to retire today and—”

                Slash Beast roared, backhanded him so hard Rock literally skipped across the length of the lake. When Rock finally bounced to a stop, he was lying near a gravel road. He barely gotten back to his feet before Slash Beast was on him, punting him into the air then dropkicking before he’d even hit the ground. Rock soon lost track as the beating continued until he was finally hurled through a building.

                “PATHETIC!” snapped Slash Beast. “I expected better of the Legendary Hero! The Blue Bomber, Mega Man! But no! All I find here is a wretched little child! You are not worthy of being called a **_man_**! You are nothing but a weakling! A stupid little cub who should have stayed back in the den!”

Suddenly enraged and filled with drunken bravado, Rock forced himself to stand and began supercharging his buster cannon. Warnings started flashing up, alerting him that his systems could take such a strain but he kept right on going. Soon his whole arm was starting to smoke as wires overheated.

“Oh! So the little cub still wishes to fight, eh?” laughed Slash Beast. “Very well! LOOK! I stand here with arms wide and let you have a free shot!”

Rock only growled and ramped up the power until his arm felt like it would explode. He drew his fist as far back before he lunged for the lion, leaping into the air as he slammed his buster cannon right under Slash Beast’s jaw as he let rip a loud scream, “ ** _Shoryuken_**!”

The lion staggered backwards as Rock fell back to the ground, his whole right arm crumbling to pieces from the sheer force of blast. Even his back-up blaster had been taken offline by how much power he’d channeled into that last attack. He might not be able to fight now, but Rock felt it was worth it to stop this maniac. And then, to his horror, he saw Slash Beast was still standing.

“That…actually hurt,” he purred, rubbing his slightly singed chin. “I apologize, little cub. For this backwards time, you might really be a true warrior. But it would be cruel to leave a warrior without his weapon… Prepare yourself, Mega Man! For I shall grant you a death befitting a legend!”

Rock could only watch helplessly as Slash Beast crouched and leapt into the air. He looked up, watching as the massive robot began dropping down towards him like a missile. With no warning, something swept Rock off his feet and whisked him away just in time to avoid being crushed beneath Slash Beast’s heels.

“Zero?!” gasped Rock, happily shocked to see him again.

The blond didn’t answer, his eyes blue and glassy as he gently sat Rock down and turned towards Slash Beast.

“Mine,” he said flatly, pointing at Rock with the most serene smile crossing his face.

“You are wake?!” barked the lion as he stared at Zero. “Nooo…. Kuwanger and his little creepy crawlies said you were sleeping now. That is how history goes! Sleeping beauty wakes up after the thug kills the doctor!”

Zero only began growling softly, his lips pulling back to show off his very white and very sharp teeth.

“What is the matter, sleeping beauty?” Slash Beast sneered back. “You lost your voice?”

 He pointed at Rock again, saying serenely, “That’s mine. And you hurt him. I’m going to kill you for that.”

The lion just laughed and charged him, jaws gaping wide before he chomped down on Zero’s outstretched hand. Slash Beast lifted him off the ground and tried to shake him around, but Zero firmly wedged his feet into the lion’s shoulders. To both Slash Beast and Rock’s amazement, Zero began ramming his arm further down as he produced a Metal Blade in his other hand. With delighted laughter, Zero slashed at the lion’s throat while Slash Beast tried desperately to pull him off. There was a sudden, sickening crack when Zero finally managed to rip the lion’s head off. He lightly jumped down as the body went crashing to the dirt, writhing and crackling in its death throes. 

Zero turned that empty, tranquil smile to Rock as he casually pulled the head off his arm. He was still had a sweet grin filled with fangs and those eerie, vacant eyes stared down at Rock when he held the head out to the little robot like a proud little kid. “Present!”

“Zero…he… Oh my god….” Rock choked back a gag when he saw that Slash Beast’s head was still lingering in agony. “Please…. Please tell me you aren’t serious…”

The blond’s brow furrowed and he frowned slightly in confusion, still holding the head out. “Don’t you like you’re present?”

There was a long pause as Rock just stood staring at that horrible cracked jaw wordlessly mouthing screams. He wasn’t sure if that was worse than the gentle, pleased expression on Zero’s face as he continued offering his ‘present’ to Rock. It ceased to matter when he felt his legs give out and Rock was out cold before he even hit the ground.

 

**** _Sometime later…_

 

Rock sat up carefully, head buzzing in a very uncomfortable way. He felt around gingerly, then noticed his right arm had been repaired. Looking down at his feet, Rock first thought the red, battered thing curled up at his feet was Rush until he saw the long blonde hair spilling out over the covers. Looking around, Rock was a little surprised to see that they were in a very tasteful bedroom with an oddly nautical theme. There was even a fish tank set into one wall like a window. It took a few more minutes before Rock finally realized that, except for the covers, he was completely naked.

“Good morning, Rock,” hummed Bubble as he sat an E-tank on the nightstand. “Feeling better?”

“Yes!” came the high-pitched yelp as he jerked the covers up to his neck, then Rock winced. In a calmer tone, he asked, “I’m doing fine, but you wouldn’t happen to know how I got here? Or who’s bed this is? Or, more to the point, where my clothes are?”

“Firstly, you’re in my bed,” said Bubble, waddling around and straightening things. “When the Monster brought you here, you were badly damaged but he was scared to leave you in the repair wing. He was very afraid that the others would try to… do things to you while you were unconscious. Lucky for you, I came along and offered to let you stay here.”

“Actually,” hissed Zero as he shifted to glare at Bubble and revealed his missing right arm. “You threatened to beat several different kinds of shit out of me if I had done anything to Rock. When I told you what happened, you gleefully offered to show me my own internal parts for letting this happen to Rock at all. Then you ordered me to bring him here while you called up the pest to fix him.”

Bubble’s whole demeanor shifted from the amiable dork Rock had known to something out of a horror movie. Voice deepening the a growl, he said, “I warned you once about calling Quint names. Do not make me repeat myself.”

“Is that how Zero lost his arm?” asked Rock angrily, appalled by the very idea that Bubble—harmless, useless, blandly jolly old Bubble Man— was capable of tearing another robot’s arm off.

“Oh no! The Monster gave it to you,” said Bubble, shifting back to his old, chipper self. “When Quint told us that there weren’t any compatible parts in the whole base, the Monster here practically tore his own damn arm off for your sake. It…it was kind of sweet… for  a serial killer.”

Rock frowned, looking over at Zero. “You mean you removed your own arm just to fix me?”

Glancing down at covers, the blond just nodded.

“You didn’t have to,” Rock said as he reached out and stroked Zero’s hair. “I do really appreciate it, but you didn’t have to hurt yourself just for my sake.”

“It was my fault,” came the soft reply. Zero turned to face him, nuzzle Rock’s hand with a purr. “This was all my fault….”

“Don’t say that!” said Rock as he head-butted the blond. “It wasn’t your fault. Nobody knew those guys were going to show up and—”

“Blues knew,” Bubble said bitterly. “He knew there would be an attack on the Camp Parks Army Robotics Research & Development Center. That’s where they were debuting the VAVA system. It’s basically a full upgrade capable of making super-powered robot soldiers for special forces operations.”

“What’s that got to do with this?”

Zero put his chin on Rock’s head and said, “The weird robots have been either killing or destroying anything and anyone involved with the VAVA as well as a Project: MAVERICK. Not that they really have to go to the trouble since all the robots given the VAVA upgrades end up going crazy and destroying themselves.”

“And in addition to that,” grumbled Bubble as he resumed explaining. “They’re also looking for some kind of super robot that Dr. Light has supposedly created. From what we got out of the monkey, this Light bot’s going to be some kind of messiah in the future. They’re also trying to steal or destroy all of Wiley’s databases, back-ups, prototypes, Robofluenza samples…oh, and of course killing the Monster.”

“Stop calling him that!” Rock snapped. “His name is Zero.”

Bubble sighed. “No, it isn’t. He doesn’t have a name at all. See, Wiley never gave the Monster name. He just never got around to it.” He snorted loudly, producing bubbles from his snorkel. “Builds his fucking masterpiece, even considers him his only real son, and doesn’t even bother to give the Monster a name. Rotten bastard.”

“Is that true Zero?”

The blond immediately looked away again, fidgeting and trying to ignore the question. When he realized there was no avoiding an answer, Zero said quietly, “Uh, well I…I suppose it is true the doctor never gave me a designation.”

“You...suppose?” asked Rock with a raised eyebrow.

Zero squirmed. “Yes… I wish I could be clearer, but I… I am unable to recall much about that time. I sometimes do not recall things happening and I…I think it is called ‘sleepwalking’… See, I have these…uh, these….”

“He has psychotic breaks due to Wiley not fixing the bugs in his operating system,” said Bubble drily. When he noticed the glare Rock gave him, Bubble sighed and bubbled again. “Well, that’s what they are. Wiley literally crafted him to be a vicious, homicidal psychopath…and that’s exactly what he **_got_**. A ungodly powerful monster without morals or conscience. And he’s also happens to be an awkward, idiot man-child who’d happily eat a fucking rock if you offered it to him covered in cheese. Of course, that’s just when the virus is in control! The real monster is **_worse_**.”

“You think I’m scared of you?” snarled Zero, lips twitching into that calm, strange smile as he flipped out a Metal Blade. “I know what hurts _you_ now. I don’t have to take your shit anymore.”

“Guys! Stop it!” Rock snapped, hopping in between them to prevent the brewing fight. “Really, I’m getting sick of all these stupid arguments and petty feuds that only lead to senseless fights and people getting hurt! Now will you two please apologize to each other?”

Bubble openly glanced down with a very amused look while Zero turned away with a growl.

“I am only sorry I upset you, Rock,” Zero said as he stood and started for the door. “I will be in the repair bay if you need me.”

Once the blond had left with a slam of the door, Rock let out a sigh and turned to Bubble. “Did you really have to go and rag on the poor guy like that? Zero is really a nice person and—.”

“He said his Other Side decapitated someone and tried to give you the severed head as a present,” said Bubble in a flat tone. “At least, that’s what the Alpha-Omega managed to get out of Zero-Sigma when he finally got it to talk. Among a couple of other things…”

“Well, he…he probably didn’t understand it was wrong,” Rock murmured, then his brow furrowed. “Wait. Alpha-Omega? Is that his name? Or is it just Alpha, Omega, Zero, or Sigma?”

Bubble sighed and burbled out a few bubbles. “They all are. The virus-aka, the only thing keeping him anywhere near mentally stable- was called the Alpha-Omega.  From what I was told, it was supposed to short for ‘I am the Beginning and the End’, as befitting the Monster’s status as the doctor’s greatest creation. I guess Wiley was feeling a bit religious after that first near death experience. The original Monster got numbered Zero multiplied by mathematic Sigma, to signify he was the summation of Wiley’s life’s work as well as the total destruction of everything. And both of them are very, very good at the last part.”

“You mean his name is ΑΩ0Σ?”

“Eh, actually it’d be more like 0*Σ=(ΑΩ).” When he noticed the look on Rock’s face, Bubble shrugged. “Look, I know it’s really terrible math but that was how Wiley wrote it down, so I’m going to presume that’s how he wanted it.”

“So does he prefer being called Zero? Or would he rather be called one of the other names, like Sigma?” Rock smiled brightly. “You think Sigma sounds better?”

“Never call him Sigma,” said Bubble in a frightened tone.

“Why not? It’s just part of his name, right?”

“No. It’s not.” Grabbing hold of Rock’s shoulders, Bubble leaning right into his face as he slowly said, “You are never to call the Monster by that name for any reason. Do you understand me?”

“O-kay.”

Bubble sighed with relief as he hugged Rock, then went to the dresser and pulled out some clothes. “Here. They’re a bit large but I’d rather not push my lucky anymore with Quint. He’s still ratty about me keeping you here.”

“Thank you,” said Rock as he took them. He was about to start dressing when he noticed Bubble was still watching him. “Umm, do you mind?”

“Look, this is the only chance I’m ever going to get to have you alone and naked with me,” murmured Bubble in an oddly defeated tone. “Anyway, who do you think took off your armor so we could repair you?”

Jerking on the tent-like sweater, Rock rounded on him. “You didn’t… _try_ anything, did you?”

“You were unconscious and injured to point I thought you were going to die,” rumbled Bubble with a deeply hurt tone. When Rock just kept staring at him warily, he sighed and said, “No. Unlike Metal, I’m not into having sex with people who are out cold. But I will admit that I really do fancy you quite a lot and I’d kill to wake up next to you every morning. But it’s painfully obvious that I’ve never going to see you like this ever again after all this is over, so forgive me my lecherousness.”

“What makes you say that?” asked Rock, suddenly aware of just miserable Bubble was.

“You’re in love with the Monster,” he said in a flat voice. “And the Monster loves you back.”

Rock gaped at him for a moment, then laughed and said, “Be serious, Bubble! He…he doesn’t…”

“The Monster went out of his way to rescue you because you’re ‘ ** _his’_** ,” snapped Bubble. “Of course, once the virus got back control, he claims it was just because you were at the same place they took his motorbike. Oh, and did we forget that Zero-Sigma literally gave you the head of a guy that tried to kill you? Usually, he just _kills_ everything. But the Monster brings you back here, acting like the most overprotective guard –dog in the world. He nearly murdered Clown when he tried to snatch you from the repair bay for ‘reasons’, and threatened to kill me when I offer to help you… And then the virus took back over and immediately decided that I must die until I pointed out him you were getting worse. The Monster was willing to let me get Quint and keep you here after he realized I wasn’t going to be like the rest of my brothers. He even agreed with me when we decided on what would be the safety place for you till this is over. Which leads us to you being here, alive, now.”

“That…that doesn’t really mean anything,” Rock muttered. “Zero made this crazy promise to protect me, I guess because he felt sorry for me.”

Bubble’s snorkel fizzed as he let out a sigh. “Rock, I’m going to tell you that there are literally only four people the Monster gives a shit about besides his nieces and nephew. There’s Snake Man, who’s practically the only person I’ve ever seen that can talk down the Other Side at it’s worse and _live._ There’s your sister Roll, because she’s…well, she gave him food and if there’s one thing that makes both sides of the Monster happy, it’s snacks.  Then there’s you because the Monster’s Other Side really has fallen for you.” Bubble sighed and added, “It was inevitable, I suppose…”

“So, who’s the other one?” asked Rock as he tugged on the comically baggy pants.

“Er… It’s a little complicated,” said Bubble, coughing and pointedly moving to straighten a picture frame. When he realized Rock was still waiting for a real answer, he burbled sadly. “The fourth person is Star Man…because the virus says it’s in love with **_him_** not you. The virus says that the Other Side is just confused and he simply wants to keep the promise he made to you.”

“Let me get this straight: Zero said he’s in love Star, right? But you’re telling me that Zero is in love with me but denies it?”

“I told you it’s complicated,” muttered Bubble. “But to be a little clearer: The Alpha-Omega virus is the one that is obsessed with Star Man. As in he’s stalking the silly pouf, who’s stupidly leading him on.  On the flipside, the Zero-Sigma has made it very obvious that he wants you in a very intimate way. But the virus keeps denying that either of them have any attraction except for Star. And both have decided that the two of you must be protected at all costs, especially from themselves. All in all, this is going to get messy.”

“I think I understand…” Rock said to himself as he followed Bubble out into a very nice living room. He idly noticed there was another aquarium on the wall instead of a window. When Bubble gestured for him to have a seat, he sat on big and very comfortable couch. He could see into the kitchen and noticed there were aquariums instead of windows there too.

“You need anything?” asked Bubble as he bustled around. “You can watch the telly if you like or a movie. They’re all in the cabinet. And there’s plenty of nibbles in the kitchen if you’d like some.”

“I’m fine, thank you. But why aren’t there any windows, Bubble?”

“But there are plenty!” chirped Bubble as he pointed to the ‘aquarium’.  “You’ve got a wonderful view right here. Oh, and look! We have a guest!”

Going over to his side, Rock stared out and saw in a shape in the murky distance. Slowly, it resolved into a grim-looking Wave Man carrying a small chest as he headed towards them. Wave turned to his left half way then marched down a small incline until he disappeared from view. Then there was a sloshing sound followed by loud banging, as it someone was slamming a metal panel with another metal object.

Grinning brightly behind his mask, Bubble waddled out of the room with Rock following in his wake. There was a small room next to the kitchen that looked to Rock like some kind of air-lock. Bubble typed in a passcode and opened the pressure door to let a still soaking wet Wave. He grumbled something unintelligible to Bubble as he handed the still grinning robot the chest.

“I’m doing fine, Wave, how are you?” chirped Bubble as he set the chest on the kitchen table. “And thanks for being so good about doing this for me. I really owe you one.”

Brushing off the comment, Wave only muttered something that Rock’s internal translators couldn’t even make out as gibberish.

“I really mean it, man.  You’ve done me a good turn and I can’t stand not repaying you for this.” Bubble gave Wave a hearty pat on the back that almost knocked the grumbling robot to the floor. Turning back to Rock, he smiled and started unpacking the chest. “Good news!  You don’t have to spend your whole stay wearing my civies, because Wave here has been nice enough to go pick up a few things for you. We’ve  got trousers, shirts, a pair of slippers, amusingly patterned pants, and…”

Bubble froze and stared at the unassuming box in his hand. Then he glared at Wave, who only shrugged and mumbled pleasantly.

“I told Shadow I was not giving him this,” hissed Bubble.

Clearing his throat, Wave grumbled out a reply then paused and added another few grunts.

“Seriously?! He really fucking said that?” Dropping into a chair, Bubble slumped miserably. “Oh dear god… Does Shadow realize what will happen if Rock leaves with that installed?”

“What will happen?” asked Rock as he took the box out of Bubble’s hand. “And just what is this thing anyway?”

Wave rumbled out a creepily cheerful explanation that only made Bubble sink deeper into his despair.

“Uh…sorry, but I didn’t quite understand…anything, Wave.”

“It’s a spoofer,” groaned Bubble. “Shadow you a fucking spoofer.”

“And what’s a spoofer?” asked Rock.

“It’s supposed to shut off your Virgin Alert signal,” Bubble said, quickly cutting Wave’s inarticulate answer. “It’s not listed in the manual for your…well, your bits, but once you install a set, it also activates a signal that basically advertises you’re a virgin.”

Rock frowned. “Seriously? I’m broadcasting _that_?” Then his brow furrowed and a thought hit him. “Wait a minute… I’ve never heard anyone else’s ‘Virgin Alert’. And I sure as hell can’t find anything saying I’m broadcast a signal.”

“Virgins can’t hear the signal,” explained Bubble. “See, the only ones who can hear it are either robots who’ve had…relations, or certain cyborgs with right kind of pick-ups.”

Wave muttered something with a smirk.

“Oh! Right… And car stereos, ham-radio set-ups, most major cell phone brands and walkie-talkies.”

“So you mean I’m broadcasting a signal that can only be heard by robots who aren’t virgins? And I’m going to presume that there’s no way of turning it off, right?”

Wave chuckled with a wink and nudged Bubble in the ribs.

“Eh, well… Outside of losing one’s virginity, there’s no permanent way to get right of it.”

“But this spoofer thing can shut it off for a little while at least?” asked Rock.

Bubble frowned and nodded. “Yes. A spoofer can mask the signal…for about a week , maybe a month if you’re got a fairly weak signal. Then it’ll burn out and it’s not uncommon for the signal to became that much stronger, because their actually designed to mimic a Virgin Alert. It’s just a fluke that spoofers also can mask the signal by basically jamming it. Look, those things are meant for fetishists who want to deflower or defile a ‘defenseless, innocent little ingénues’. It’s really not meant to last more than a night or two.”

“And why would I need one of these things?” asked Rock. “I mean, it’s not like my lack of a love life is going to make much a difference in the long run.”

Arching an eyebrow, Wave grunted out something and nudged Bubble in the side again.

“I was…I was going to tell him,” said Bubble with a whine. He took a deep breath and turned to Rock. “I’m going to be frank with you, Rock. The reason Shadow suggested we give you a spoofer is that when I explained the agreement the Monster and I made, he pointed out that you’ve got an extremely noticeable signal and the longer you were here, the more likely there’ll be…problems.”

“Why is that a problem? I’m going home just as soon as I get my armor and check on Zero.”

Wave and Bubble shared a look, then Bubble said, “Uh, that’s not going to be possible.”

“Why not?” asked Rock. “I’m not a prisoner here.”

Wave muttered something with a chuckle.

“Actually,” Bubble explained. “You are…kind of. The Monster and I both agreed that the best way to keep you safe from both the army bastards and these new, crazy, super-robots was to hide you some place that they can’t reach. And, so far, none of the bastards seem to be able to work underwater which makes my lair the safest location on Earth for you. And it’s very nice down here, and you can even call you family to tell them you’re safe. In a couple of days or so… See? It’s really not as bad as it sounds!”

“You and Zero both agreed that the best solution was keeping me hostage at one of Wiley’s bases?!” snapped Rock. “And neither of you thought ask if I was okay with this?”

Bubble smiled nervously. “Well, you were kind of unconscious at the time. Besides, Rock, you were almost killed by not one but three of those monsters.”

“Excuse me?” Rock said with a grumble. “Ms. Hyenard came along very peacefully once we talked her down. And that Kola-beetle guy was just trying to do the same thing you are.”

“I was talking about Yammark, the now very demised lion, and that fucking shapeshifting assassin who claims he’s from the future.”

Rock blinked at him in surprise. “Shapeshifting, time traveling assassins? That’s…that’s really ridiculous, you know. And I have dealt with some pretty bizarre crap over the years.”

“Yeah… It’s all so stupid till you take a shot in the arse protecting someone you’ve really come to care about.” Bubble pointedly rubbed as his backside, wincing. “As if I didn’t have enough problems with moving about on land…”

“I’m sorry,” said Rock, going over to Bubble. “Do you need me to take you to the repair bay and look at it?”

Chuckling even harder, Wave grumbled something that made Bubble’s face glow even redder.

“No! Eh…no, it’s fine.” Bubble smiled and got up, easily dragging Wave to the airlock. “Look, Wave and I have to be off to help with some work on the water treatment outlets. We…we will talk about things more when I get back.”

“So can I go see Zero?” asked Rock as he followed along. “He might need a helping hand.”

Wave rumbled out something that even Rock realized was a very filthy comment.

“The Monster will be just **_fine_** , Rock,” Bubble said in an icy voice. “There are automatic repair units he can use. Anyway, I’d feel better if you stayed down here for the time being. For both your safety and my own peace of mind. Okay?”

“Okay. I’ll stay here…as a prisoner,” said Rock, giving Bubble a kicked puppy stare.

Huffing and foaming from his snorkel, Bubble said softly, “Look, you’re not a prisoner. This is more like…uh, like witness protection, all right? None of us know much about what’s going on except that all these new robots are as strong as Zero is. Even you can’t take one out in a fair fight. And they are all after you for some reason. So, until we figure out how to deal with the bastards, it’s better for you to stay hidden.”

“And who’s going to protect the city? Or my family?” Rock growled.

It was Wave who grumbled back a reply.

“Uh, sorry but I didn’t get that.”

Bubble sighed. “He said the Monster’s decided your family’s as good as being part of his personal protectorate. And that the cops can handle the rest.”

“…I’m foreseeing this ending very badly,” said Rock. “I mean, if I can’t stop those creeps, what can everyone else do?”

Wave grunted out something, waving his harpoon hand around.

“He said it’d be pretty easy to just bum-rush the bastards.” Bubble leaned in and tussled Rock’s hair. “Seriously though, don’t worry about it right now. I promise I will personally make sure things are taken  care of. Now, will you please get some rest?”

Rock sighed, defeated for the moment. “All right. I’ll go rest… But you’d better keep me informed about everything. And I want to go see Zero when you get back, okay?”

“Yes…” muttered Bubble, looking oddly deflated. “I’ll take you to see the Monster.”

“Thank you.”

Rock watched as the pair went through the airlock, door slamming firmly shut behind them. Once the bolts had thumped home, Rock went back to the kitchen to digest everything Bubble had told him. He mulled over that along with all the other little scraps of information he’d picked over the last day. All in all, Rock’s only conclusion was that he knew basically nothing about what was going on and that everyone was being too damn cryptic for his tastes. So he decided to just waste the rest of his time waiting for Bubble by going through the hopping robot’s movie collection.

 

 

 


	8. Epilogue

_Tuesday, 18th of February, 2014, 8:50 PM PST_

_Ukiah, California_

            “Will you please let me off this table?” Elec growled as he tried to squirm loose from the restraints.

            “Nope!” replied Rosie, helping Roll pull shrapnel out of his side. “You’re staying here till we get you repaired. So quit grumbling and hold still.”

            “But Rock’s in danger!” he snapped back, then turned a pleading glance towards Stern, Guts, and Fire. “Help me out here. They are not listening to reason!”

            Guts looked away quickly, while Fire and Stern glanced at each other.

            “From my own experience with ex-wives,” began Stern with a cough. “I’m going to say that you’re shit out of luck, Sparky.”

            Elec just glared, then said, “Rock. Is. In. Danger. And it’s all my fault. Now, let me go fix things.”

            “Actually,” said Roll taking a spool of wire from Rosie. “From what M told me Rock was fine, but they’re afraid to move him right now because of how badly he got hurt. Now will you please let us fix _you_?”

            Elec began to argue again when Fire cut him off. “I’m fixin’ to go up there to bring him home, all right? Now will yeh quit yer fussin’?”

            They all turned and stared at him in shock.

            “Excuse me?” grumbled Stern. “You aren’t going anywhere without at least one escort at all times.”

            “Listen here, sir,” Fire growled back. “That’s my lil’ brother and I sure as hell ain’t gonna sit here while those bastards do god knows what to him!”

            “And I have orders to keep you all under surveillance until further notice. Especially a hothead like you.”

            Roll rolled their eyes while Rosie just buried her face in Elec’s chest to hide her embarrassment. “Will you two please quit bickering? Why don’t you just go with Mister Stern and get Rock?”

            The human and robot glared at each, then said in unison, “Fine! We’ll both go.”

            With that, they both turned and stormed out of the lad. After a few minutes passed, Elec broke the silence.

            “You think they’ll kill each before or after they get up there?”

            Rosie frowned. “They probably won’t even make it down the drive-way.”

***

_Tuesday, 04-18- 2014, 21:15 PM_

_Camp Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, Dublin, CA_

 

            Various cleaning supplies went clattering to the floor as Blues threw the smaller robot into the supply room. He quickly shut and locked the door behind them. Before Yammark could try for an escape, Blues had him by the throat and slammed him into the wall.

            “You little bastard,” he said with a mild voice, squeezing harder. “You really thought you’d get away?”

            “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir!” gasped Yammark.

            “I reviewed the personnel files again. There was no Specialist Yammark listed until a month ago.” Blues leaned close and smiled. “There’s no security cameras or surveillance in here, you know. So I don’t have to be _nice_ about getting answers from you…”

            Yammark whimpered with tears swelling in his eyes. “Please, sir… You don’t always have to hurt me…”

            Pressing up against the smaller robot, Blues nuzzled the side of his faceplate. “Shush… I said I didn’t have to be nice, not that I couldn’t be. Now, here’s your choices: we  do things the hard way where I beat the information out of you, or…” He slipped his free hand down between Yammark legs and gently rubbed. “You let me have everything I want and I give you that one thing you’ve been hounding me for since we meet. I mean, it’s not like you’re really my subordinate…”

            “Do…do you really mean that, sir?” asked Yammark, looking hopeful and a little aroused.

            Blues let go of the now panting robot’s neck to pull a small cable out from behind his ear. “Why don’t you open up and let me show you, sweetheart.”

            After a moment’s hesitation, Yammark opened not only his faceplate but all of his other panels.

            “You’re such a good sport, aren’t you?” hummed Blues as he started linking up with the smaller robot.

            Moaning loudly as Blues slipped inside, Yammark wrapped his legs around him. “Only for you, Vile…”

            Blues paused only for second, feeling horrified and ashamed at what he was doing before he shook it off and pressed on with the ‘interrogation’. It was all for the greater good. He might have been rougher than he’d originally intended, but the little dragonfly only begged him for more and more. Maybe that’s why Blues kept going long after he’d gotten everything he needed from the traitor.  After all, he keeping the little guy around as his own mole might be a good idea in the long run. When it was over, he left Yammark slumped on the floor, sticky and chittering happily with a dazed expression.

            As he went down the hall, a little voice in the back of Blues’ mind kept reminding him that doing things ‘for the greater good’ only ever leads to even worse acts. Blues firmly decided to ignore that epiphany and went on with giving Gibson his report.

***

_Tuesday, 04-18- 2014, 21:15 PM_

_?????_

 

            “You didn’t have to shoot them, idiot.”

            Axle growled and stared out over the waves.

            “So we’re back to ignoring me, hm?” asked the voice. “It does you no good. I’ve got plenty of time and you have to sleep eventually. We can always talk then.”

            “You know Lumine, for a dead guy you really are a nag.”

            Lumine sighed. “And for such an intelligent mercenary, you are so willfully ignorant about _everything_!”

            “You told me to open fire!” snapped Axle. “Ain’t my fault lard-ass got in the way.”

            “No, I told you to create a distraction and get Mega Man away from them. Then we were going to set things up to make it seem as though he’d been killed. I never said a damn thing about provoking Zero into a fight or, more to the point, getting the shit kicked out of yourself by a very angry relic.”

            “Hey! Lard-ass might not be a super-advanced New Gen, but did you see what he did?” Axle grinned. “Dude threw me headfirst through a meter thick blast wall. _After_ getting shot right in the ass! Now that’s pretty fucking impressive!”

            There came a low groan from Lumine. “You and I have a very different view on what is impressive.”

             “Yeah, well I didn’t ask for your opinion, creepy stalker boy.”

            “Stalker boy?” Lumine huffed in annoyance. “Dear god… I thought we were past this by now.”

            “The fuck I’m past shit with you!” roared Axle as he leapt to his feet.

            “Oh god, not this again…” grumbled Lumine. “Will you calm down? We need to stay focused, Axle. Our plans depend on you keeping your head.”

             “Easy for you to say, asshole! It’s not your fucking head!” Axle snapped back, glaring up at the sky. “And this never was my plan to begin with! I never wanted any of this bullshit, you know! Nobody stopped and asked if I was ever cool with this whole horror story from the start. All you assholes, from Dad to X and even Light’s ghost just decided that I was the only guy for the job, no matter what I wanted. You’ve got no idea how fun it is to have to go through every timeline you exist in, tack yourself down, then murder yourself just to keep up with the maniac who’s doing the exact same thing! And I sure as fuck didn’t ask for what came after you tried that fucking little stunt! Thanks to you, Lumine, I have to make sure every version of you rapes me in multiply ways just to make sure I keep gaining all power off all the dead mes. Yeah, I am so fucking stable that I could blow my own fucking head off right now!”

            Suddenly, Axle noticed a little black orb floating just at the edge of his sight. He stiffened, not turning to watch see the dark armored robot that appeared behind him.

            “Hello, Axle,” said Bass, trying to hide his discomfort behind a mask of indifference. “Or would you prefer I called you ‘son’?”

            “Axle is fine, thank you sir.”

            “You could at least look at me when I’m talking to you,” grumble Bass.

            Forcing a smile,  Axle faced him and then raised an eyebrow. “Whoa… You are a lot shorter than I remember.”

            “Yeah…you are _definitely_ my kid,” Bass said dryly as he looked Axle over. “Right down to being a fucking smartass.”

There was a long, awkward pause as they just stood sizing each other up.

Finally, Bass said, “Would it have killed you to come ask me for help?”

“Actually, yes. Yes it usually did end with you killing me every time I asked for help.”

Bass started to snap at him, then thought a moment. “Yeah… You’re right. So, what now?”

“Well,” said Axle. “This is usually the point when I tell you to kindly go fuck yourself, then run like all hell before you remove my head with extreme prejudice.”

“Fair enough,” replied Bass. “But what if this time I told you that there’s an easier way to deal with Vile. One that doesn’t involve you undergoing any more trauma.”

“I would have to say that this certainly is a first for you, you old bastard. But feel free to tell me anyway.”

Bass shook his head. “No, son of mine. I won’t _tell_ you. I’m going to _show_ you.”

Before Axle could jerk away, Bass reached out and lightly poked him in the forehead

Shrieking, Axle dropped to the ground and curled up into a tight ball. It was only when he’d stopped whimpering that he realized Bass was talking again.

“…was wondering who you were talking to, boy.” He reached down to Axle. “Here. Let me help you.”

Axle snarled and kicked out, driving Bass back before he scrambled to his feet. “DON’T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!”

“Sorry,” muttered Bass. “Look, if you want, I can not only get rid of the little fucker but make him **_pay_**.”

“Do not ever touch me,” repeated Axle in a calmer tone. “And you could have just given me all that information on a chip or something instead of doing… ** _that_**.”

Bass only shrugged. “Too risky. You might lose a chip or a USB drive, and there are certain things I really don’t want Blues to ever find out.”

            “That still doesn’t mean you had to do **_that_** to me.”

            “I really am sorry, all right? I honestly didn’t know,” Bass grumbled. “Now, are going to let me help you or not?”

            “I…I need to think it over,” rasped Axle. “I mean, what you’re going to do to all three of them is pretty damn horrible. And that’s not even going into what you’re willing to let happen to Blues.”

            Bass just smiled. “Trust me, Blues dug his own damn grave decades ago… Besides, if you paid attention, it’s not going to be any fun for me either. Now are you in or are you out, Axle?”

            “I’ll think about it,” was all he said as he backed away.

            “Very well,” said Bass. “But don’t take too long, my little son.”

            As Axle watched, the other robot seemed to just fade away instead of the usually flashing out. He glanced around carefully, just to be completely sure that his father was gone before he sat back on the sand and broke down crying.

            “Well,” murmured Lumine from the bowels of Axle’s mind. “I would say that went pretty well. And this version of Forte seems to be very reasonable…”

            “Shut the fuck up,” sobbed Axle as he curled up on himself. He never noticed the little black orb watching him from the shadows of the cliff.


End file.
